Second cancers take greater toll on younger patients

April 21, 2017|Hematology Times

For older adults, the 5-year relative survival was 57% when patients had NHL as a first cancer and 54% when they had NHL as a second primary malignancy.

Leukemias

For pediatric patients with ALL, the 5-year relative survival was 87% when patients had ALL as a first cancer and 63% when they had ALL as a second primary malignancy.

For AYAs, the 5-year relative survival was 48% when patients had ALL as a first cancer and 26% when they had ALL as a second primary malignancy.

For older adults, the 5-year relative survival was 17% when patients had ALL as a first cancer and 11% when they had ALL as a second primary malignancy.

For pediatric patients with AML, the 5-year relative survival was 57% when patients had AML as a first cancer and 29% when they had AML as a second primary malignancy.

For AYAs, the 5-year relative survival was 46% when patients had AML as a first cancer and 23% when they had AML as a second primary malignancy.

For older adults, the 5-year relative survival was 12% when patients had AML as a first cancer and 10% when they had AML as a second primary malignancy.

Why younger patients tend to fare worse after a second cancer than older patients is not fully understood or specifically addressed in the current study, the researchers noted.

Now, the team plans to examine how the time between getting a first and second cancer affects survival and whether the type of treatment for the first cancer influences the outcome of a second cancer.