Breast Cancer Radiotherapy May Raise Esophageal Cancer Risk

Although radiation is known to increase risk for some cancers, such as esophageal carcinoma, this study may be the first to report population-based risk estimates associated with breast cancer treatment.

Data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, collected from 1973 through 1993, show an increase in primary esophageal carcinoma among over 220,000 women with breast cancer as compared with the general population (relative risk, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.27 to 1.84). Those who received radiation and were followed for 10 or more years had a marked increase in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (RR, 5.42; CI, 2.33 to 10.68) that was not seen with shorter follow-up or in breast cancer patients not re…