A polygenic risk score can predict the risk of second malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in pediatric cancer survivors who were treated with chemotherapy, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The 179-variant score, which was previously validated in adults, “has strong potential for improving SMN clinical risk stratification among nonirradiated [pediatric cancer] survivors treated with specific chemotherapies,” according to researchers.

The researchers tested the polygenic risk score in 10,613 pediatric cancer survivors from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study. Most survivors (n=9895) had European ancestry, and a minority had African ancestry (n=718).

Source: Score Can Predict Risk of Second Cancers in Pediatric Cancer Survivors