Cervical cancer survivors likely to get other cancers

3 November, 2007

There is bad news for those women who have survived cervical cancer: they have an increased risk for developing other types of cancers, possibly after decades.

This increased risk of getting other cancers, mostly seen in women who were treated with radiation therapy, involves organs that lie near the cervix,
according to an article in the November 7, 2007, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published from the United States.

In the article, Dr Anil K Chaturvedi, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, the United States, and colleagues write, “Previous studies have indicated that the risk of second cancers is increased among cervical cancer survivors, but overall and (body) site-specific risks among very long-term survivors were unclear.”

The new findings are based on an analysis of data for 104,760 survivors of cervical cancer, collected from many Scandinavian countries and the United States.

The researchers have calculated the rate of second cancers at over 40 years of the follow-up.

Overall, the group that survived cervical cancer was 30% more likely to develop a cancer than were women in the general population. Further analysis showed that the rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) and smoking-related cancers were higher in the survivors who had radiotherapy than those who did not undergo radiotherapy.

Survivors of cervical cancer treated with radiotherapy had an enhanced risk for cancers near the cervix – including cancers of the colon, rectum, anus,
bladder, ovaries, and genitals. By contrast, no increased risk for these cancers was seen in survivors who did not receive radiotherapy.

According to the researchers, the 40-year, cumulative rate of a second cancer was higher for survivors diagnosed with cervical cancer before rather
than after they were 50 years old – 22.2% versus 16.4%, respectively.

The most important finding, Dr Anil K Chaturvedi said, was that, even 40 years after the diagnosis of cervical cancer, survivors remained at increased
risk of second cancers. “These results are consistent with previous studies that showed increased second cancer risks beyond 30 years of follow-up, but that did not have sufficient data on time periods beyond 30 years.”

The increased second cancer risk among cervical cancer survivors stresses the need for screening or regular medical surveillance, Dr Anil K Chaturvedi
added.

Meanwhile, another study conducted in the United States has revealed that vitamin D reduces the risk of death from colorectal cancer.

People having higher levels of vitamin D are less likely to die of colorectal cancer. However, vitamin D does not appear to affect the chances of dying
from any other type of cancer, according to the study led by Michal Freedman, an epidemiologist at the United States National Cancer Institute.

Several studies conducted previously have revealed the protective effects from higher intake of vitamin D for cancer and other ailments.

Colorectal cancer refers to cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. In the United States alone, about 50,000 people die of colorectal cancer annually.