KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of SMNs among adult patients with cancer.
- Researchers noticed elevated SIRs in younger patients with lifestyle-related FPCs, emphasizing the need for lifestyle changes.
Hanna A M Koivisto and the team aimed to explore the incidence of second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) among adult patients with cancer diagnosed with their first primary cancer (FPC) from 1992 to 2021.
They performed an inclusive analysis using data from the population-based Finnish Cancer Registry (FCR). Risk estimates were calculated using the SIR, which compares the observed number of second cancers to the expected number based on the incidence rates in the corresponding sex-age-calendar year groups of the general population.
About 573,379 FPCs were diagnosed during 1992-2021. During the follow-up, 60,464 SMNs were diagnosed. Male cancer patients had neither a decreased nor an increased risk (SIR 1.00 [95% CI, 0.99-1.01]), while female patients had an 8% increased risk (SIR 1.08 [95% CI, 1.06-1.09]) of developing any SMN compared to a FPC in the general population.
The highest SIR of any SMN was observed in patients aged 20-39 years at FPC diagnosis, and the SIR decreased with increasing age at diagnosis. Patients with lymphoid and haematopoietic tissue neoplasms, cancers of the mouth and pharynx, endocrine glands, respiratory and intrathoracic organs, skin, and urinary organs had the highest SIRs, while patients with cancers of the male genital organs and the female breast had the lowest SIRs.
The study concluded elevated SIRs were observed in cancer patients diagnosed at an early age and for FPCs largely attributable to lifestyle factors, highlighting the importance of monitoring and encouraging lifestyle changes.
No funding information was given.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38850051/
Koivisto HAM, Nevala AO, Miettinen JM, et al. (2024). “Relative risk of second malignant neoplasms highest among young adult cancer patients – a population-based registry study in Finland.” Acta Oncol. 2024 Jun 8;63:418-425. doi: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.34138. PMID: 38850051.
