Summary
Improvement of survival in lymphocytic leukaemia has been accompanied by the occurrence of second primary cancer (SPCs). Based on Swedish Family Cancer Database, we applied bi‐directional analyses in which relative risks (RRs) were calculated for any SPCs in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) and the risks of these leukaemias as SPCs. After CLL, RRs were significant for 20 SPCs, and high for skin squamous cell cancer (24·58 for in situ and 7·63 for invasive), Merkel cell carcinoma (14·36), Hodgkin lymphoma (7·16) and Kaposi sarcoma (6·76). Conversely, 15 CLL cancer pairs were reciprocally increased. The increased risks were reciprocal for ALL and four cancers. RR for ALL was 15·35 after myeloid neoplasia. HCL showed reciprocally increased RRs with non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and melanoma. The concordance between RRs for bi‐directional associations between CLL and different cancers, and HCL and different cancers was highly significant. For CLL (also for HCL), the bi‐directional risks with skin cancers and other immune‐related cancers suggest the probable involvement of immune dysfunction. For ALL, treatment may contribute to risks of multiple SPCs. Increased risk of ALL after haematological neoplasms may indicate bone marrow dysfunction. These findings may help guide treatment decisions and prognostic assessment.
Sud and colleagues interrogated the familial risk of hematological malignancy in association with over 150 000 patients. The majority of hematological malignancies showed increased familial relative risk, most prominently in association with B-cell malignancies.
Second primary cancers (SPCs) account for an increasing proportion of all cancer diagnoses. It is unlikely that prior therapy is solely responsible for SPC risk. To investigate risk of SPC after diagnosis of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and 10 of its subtypes we conducted a novel bidirectional analysis, SPCs after NHL and NHL as SPC. Using the Swedish Family‐Cancer Database, we identified 19,833 individuals with primary NHL diagnosed between 1993 and 2015. We calculated relative risks (RRs) of SPCs in NHL survivors and, for bi‐directional analysis, risk of NHL as SPC. The overall RRs were significantly bidirectionally increased for NHL and 7 cancers. After diagnosis of NHL risks were increased for upper aerodigestive tract (RR = 1.96), colorectal (1.35), kidney (3.10), bladder (1.54) and squamous cell skin cancer (SCC) (4.12), melanoma (1.98) and Hodgkin lymphoma (9.38). The concordance between RRs for each bidirectional association between NHL and 31 different cancers was highly significant (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001). Melanoma was bidirectionally associated with all 10 subtypes of NHL. The observed bidirectional associations between NHL and cancer suggest that therapy‐related carcinogenic mechanisms cannot solely explain the findings. Considering that skin SCC and melanoma are usually treated by surgery and that these cancers and NHL are most responsive of any cancer to immune suppression, the consistent bidirectional results provide population‐level evidence that immune suppressed state is a key underlying mechanism in the context of SPCs. Furthermore, the quantified risks for NHL subtypes have direct clinical application in the management of NHL patients.
Background
Malignant melanoma (MM) patients are at increasing risk of developing second primary cancers (SPCs). We assessed mortality and risk of SPCs in MM patients with siblings or parents affected with same cancer compared with that of the general population.
Methods
We used the Swedish Family-Cancer Database to assess relative risks (RRs) and causes of death in SPCs until 2015 in patients with a MM diagnosis between 1958 and 2015. We identified 35 451patients with MM among whom 3212 received a subsequent diagnosis of SPC. RRs of SPCs after MM diagnosis were calculated stratifying over concordant family history of cancer in first-degree relatives.
Results
Familial RRs were increased for second melanoma (RR = 19.28, 95% CI = 16.71 to 22.25), squamous cell skin cancer (RR = 7.58, 95% CI = 5.57 to 10.29), leukemia (RR = 5.69, 95% CI = 2.96 to 10.94), bladder (RR = 4.15, 95% CI = 2.50 to 6.89), ovarian (RR = 3.89, 95% CI = 1.46 to 10.37), kidney cancer (RR = 3.77, 95% CI = 1.57 to 9.06), cancer of unknown primary (RR = 3.67, 95% CI = 1.65 to 8.16), nervous system (RR = 2.88, 95% CI = 1.20 to 6.93), breast (RR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.92 to 2.84), lung (RR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.50 to 3.35), and prostate cancer (RR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.89 to 2.61) with statistical significance. For all cancers, familial RR was in excess (2.09, 95% CI = 2.02 to 2.16 vs 1.78, 95% CI = 1.69 to 1.87; Ptrend < .0001). Cause of death in MM patients with SPC is shown to be dependent on the cancer site though SPCs contributed to majority of deaths.
Conclusions
SPCs appear higher with prior family history of cancer and contribute to mortality. SPC was the most common cause of death in patients with SPC and is almost uniformly the major contributing cause of death for all cancer sites. For improved survival in MM patients, prevention and early detection of SPCs would be important.
Deutsche Krebshilfe, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Finnish Cancer Organizations, Swedish Research Council, ALF from Region Skåne, and Bloodwise.
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