Teens and Young Adults Who Survive Cancer More Apt to Develop and Die From New Primary Cancer

Children who develop cancer have an increased risk of developing a new form of cancer later in life, even as far into the future as their 40s and beyond. A new study from the American Cancer Society aimed to find out if adolescent and young adult cancer survivors faced a similar risk, and it appears that they do.

An American Cancer Society research team drew from data on more than 170,000 young cancer patients who survived five years after their initial diagnosis, and they gauged their chances of being diagnosed with a new cancer in the future. The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, show that not only is there an increased risk of developing a new type of cancer, but the risk of death is nearly double for this patient group.

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Dr. Hyuna Sung, the study’s lead author and principal scientist in cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, says, “The risk of subsequent primary cancer among cancer survivors has been extensively studied among childhood cancer survivors, but relatively less is known about adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. These results strongly stress the need to expand research on and strengthen efforts for surveillance of subsequent cancers among childhood and AYA cancer survivors, as well as develop age-specific, exposure-based and risk-stratified prevention strategies in this growing population of survivors.”

To conduct the study, researchers examined data from more than 170,000 U.S. patients in nine Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registries from 1975 through 2013. The figures included survivors of 29 adolescent and young adult cancers that were diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 39.

The team found that 35 years after the initial cancer diagnosis, one in seven survivors had developed a new cancer, a 25% higher rate than the general population. However, the risk of death was much worse. One in 16 survivors had died of the new cancer, an 84% higher risk than the general population.

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As for which new cancers they were most apt to develop, the most common were female breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, which made up a combined 36% of new cancers and 39% of deaths. Lung cancer in particular accounted for about a quarter of deaths.

Dr. Sung says this study should spur health care providers to follow good post-treatment practices for younger survivors.

She says, “These findings underscore the critical role of providing high-quality post-treatment survivorship care to reduce the risk of subsequent cancers. Given the younger age at diagnosis, there often should be more opportunities for prevention and early detection of subsequent cancers in this survivor group. However, preventing and managing such risk requires knowledge of its impact and optimal risk-based screening in place. Access to easily understood information and tailored resources based on survivors’ history of cancer are needed to support survivors to navigate survivorship care and maximize wellness as they age.”