Women who survive breast cancer may have a higher-than-average risk of developing thyroid cancer in the next several years, a new study suggests.
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From Medical Express
Breast cancer survivors may have increased risk of thyroid cancer
the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:
According to preliminary findings presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego, California, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City have found that female breast cancer survivors may be at an increased risk for developing thyroid cancer.
For the study, researchers analyzed government data from over 700,000 American women treated for breast cancer.
They found that women had a higher-than-average risk for developing thyroid cancer, mostly within 5 years of the breast cancer diagnosis.
The researchers estimated that a 40-year-old female breast cancer survivor's risk of developing thyroid cancer in the next 10 years was 16% and 12% for a 50-year-old woman, compared with 0.3% for the average U.S. woman.
The findings do not make it clear what causes the association, but it may be related to the thyroid gland being exposed to radiation treatment for breast cancer. In general, the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing in the United States, possibly due to better detection with the increasing use of thyroid ultrasound.
