In the United States, the population of childhood cancer survivors is increasing, with an overall childhood cancer survival rate greater than 85 percent five years after diagnosis. However, survivors remain at increased risk of various health conditions, including second cancers. Published in The Lancet Oncology, scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CSS) and the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (St. Jude Life). They found that survivors with pathogenic genetic variants in specific genes, termed cancer-predisposing variants, are at an increased likelihood of developing second cancers and why these could be more serious or fatal. The results will inform genetic counselling, testing and adoption of personalised cancer screening and prevention strategies.
The scientists had previously identified that survivors with pathogenic variants in one of 60 different cancer-predisposing genes or 127 DNA damage repair genes were more likely to develop a second or subsequent cancer. This study furthers that research to show a direct connection between cancer-predisposing variants and increased second cancer-related mortality.