Historically many forms of lymphoma have been among the more treatable cancers in this generation. This includes the relatively high rate of survival from Hodgkin's Disease. This is due to treatment effectiveness increasing over time - better chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimes and more precise ways of delivering radiotherapy.

It has been shown that cancer survivors in general and lymphoma survivors specifically are more prone to cancers besides lymphoma. This is due to many factors, some still unexplained:

• Chemotherapy regimes, mostly older ones like MOPP
• Radiotherapy delivered with older style machines or imprecise shielding
• Possibly susceptibility due to weakened immune systems

The number of people getting secondary cancers is relatively low. The thought of getting another cancer can be frightening and make checkups unnecessarily fearful.

The key is education - to find out what to look for given your type of lymphoma and treatment history. Do your research and ask your oncologist and medical team.

Specific Cancers – Breast

Patients irradiated before 30 year of age for Hodgkin's Disease should include breast self-examination (BSE) monthly, yearly mammography 8 years postirradiation, and regular physical examinations every 6 months. JCO Vol 16, pp 338-347 Abstract

Specific Cancers – Leukemia

Hodgkin's patients treatment with MOPP chemotherapy have a slight chance of contracting secondary leukemia. According to NCI (4/99), the risk of acute myelogenous leukemia is approximately 3%, with the peak incidence occurring 5-9 years after therapy. Leukemia risk with ABVD is estimated to be less than 1%.

 

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Resources

Secondary Solid Tumors in HD patients cured after radiation or chemo plus adjuvant low-dose radiation
Secondary Cancers after Hodgkin's
Hodgkin's and Skin Cancer from Pathfinder.
Secondary malignancies after treatment for laparotomy staged IA-IIIB Hodgkin's Disease (abstract)
PDQ Citation: Roles of radiotherapy and smoking in lung cancer following Hodgkin's Disease
Hodgkin's radiation therapy and Secondary Breast Cancer Risk
A paper on Skin Cancer and NHL
Recent Article: Alan C. Aisenberg, Problems in Hodgkin's Disease Management Blood 1999 93: 761-779. [Full Text]