Researchers clarified that survivors of breast cancer had a higher chance of developing second malignancies

Based on data from almost 600,000 patients in England, a new study indicates that survivors of breast cancer are substantially more likely to get secondary malignancies, such as endometrial and ovarian cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
Researchers have for the first time shown that residents of places with greater socioeconomic deprivation are at a higher risk of developing this condition.

In the UK, breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy to get a diagnosis of. Every year in the UK, around 56,000 people get a diagnosis; women make up the great majority of these individuals—more than 99 percent. Five-year survival rates have been rising over time, with improvements in early diagnosis and treatment leading to a 97% rate in England by 2017.

Although the precise risk has not been determined up to now, those who survive breast cancer are at risk of developing another primary malignancy. According to previously released studies, survivors of breast cancer had a 24% and 27% higher chance, respectively, than the general population of developing a non-breast secondary malignancy. There have also been reports that the age of breast cancer diagnosis influences the likelihood of developing a second primary cancer.
A team led by academics at the University of Cambridge used the National Cancer Registration Dataset to analyze data from over 3,500 male and over 580,000 female breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed between 1995 and 2019 in order to get more precise estimations. Today, Lancet Regional Health – Europe publishes the analysis’s findings.

“It’s important for us to understand to what extent having one type of cancer puts you at risk of a second cancer at a different site,” said Isaac Allen, the first author and member of the University of Cambridge Department of Public Health and Primary Care. The data we analyzed on male and female breast cancer survivors showed an increased risk of multiple recurrent malignancies. Understanding this helps facilitate discussions with their care providers about the need to watch out for any possible new cancerous growths.”

The researchers discovered that there are markedly higher odds of endometrial and prostate cancer in women and men, respectively, as well as cancer in the contralateral (or unaffected) breast. In addition to having an 87% increased risk of endometrial cancer, a 58% increased risk of myeloid leukemia, and a 25% increased risk of ovarian cancer, women who survived breast cancer had a doubled risk of contralateral breast cancer when compared to the general population.

The age at which a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer is also significant; women diagnosed after the age of 50 were at a 17 percent greater risk of developing a second primary cancer, while women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 50 were 86% more likely to do so. A plausible rationale might be that a greater proportion of younger breast cancer survivors could have acquired genetic modifications that heighten the likelihood of developing multiple malignancies. For instance, women who inherit mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are more likely to develop pancreatic, ovarian, and contralateral breast cancer.

Compared to women from the least poorest origins, those from the most socioeconomically deprived backgrounds had a 35% higher chance of developing a second primary malignancy. The main cause of these disparities was the risk of non-breast malignancies, including those related to lung, kidney, head and neck, bladder, oesophageal, and stomach cancers. This might occur as a result of the fact that more impoverished populations are more likely to smoke, be obese, and drink alcohol—all of which are known risk factors for these malignancies.
“This is further evidence of the health inequalities that people from more deprived backgrounds experience,” said Clare Hall PhD student Allen. In order to act and lower this risk, we must completely understand why people are more likely to get second malignancies.”

Researchers note that while an individual’s risk remained extremely low, male breast cancer survivors were 55 times more likely to acquire contralateral breast cancer than the overall male population. For instance, over a 25-year period, almost three males out of every 100 who were diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or older also had contralateral breast cancer. Prostate cancer was also 58% more common among men who had survived breast cancer than in all males.
The principal author of the research, Professor Antonis Antoniou of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care, stated:

“This is the largest study to date to look at the risk in breast cancer survivors of developing a second cancer.”

The exceptional data sets made accessible to academics by the NHS alloWith assistance from the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Cambridge Biomedical Research Center, Cancer Research UK provided funding for the study.
“This study shows us that the risk of second primary cancers is higher in people who have had breast cancer, and this can differ depending on someone’s socioeconomic background,” said Katrina Brown, senior cancer intelligence manager at Cancer Research UK. However, additional investigation is required to determine the cause of this discrepancy and the best way to address these health disparities.”