Colorectal Cancer Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors
Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of cancers, people who survive any cancer are at risk of developing a second primary one. The potential burden of such cancers is therefore becoming a greater clinical concern as the population of cancer survivors grows. In fact, multiple primary cancers now account for about 17% of all cancers reported annually to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute. Cancer survivors may be at increased risk of second primary cancers because of genetic factors, environmental factors, and the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.1 Moreover, a recent study found that second primary cancers were more lethal than an initial cancer: While 13% of people died of their initial cancer, 55% died of their second primary cancer. Guidelines for the long-term care of cancer survivors generally recommend screening for second primary cancers according to the same guidelines developed for the general population; it isn’t clear, however, that these screening recommendations are sufficient for all cancer survivors, some of whom may be at an increased risk for particular forms of cancer and thus may warrant more frequent screening for these malignancies.1
