Page 80 2026 PAINT THE PAPER PINK Lincoln Daily News Oct/Nov 2026 New News About Breast Cancer Survivors’ Risk of New Cancers Data from breast cancer survivors showed that the cancer’s subtype and age at diagnosis affect the risk for developing a new type of cancer. The Challenge Invasive breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. In 2019, there were more than 3.9 million survivors of breast cancer in the US. With improvements in the treatment for breast cancer and the increase in the US aging population, the number of breast cancer survivors is expected to increase. Plus, most of those survivors live for many years after their diagnosis. So, it’s more important than ever to take steps to keep improving quality of life after diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. One issue affecting breast cancer survivors is the risk of developing a new type of cancer (called a subsequent primary cancer or second cancer). Compared to the general population, breast cancer survivors have a 17% higher risk of developing a new cancer. However, this increased risk is not the same for all breast cancer survivors. Studies have shown that the level of risk for developing a new type of cancer depends on the: Age at diagnosis of the first breast cancer Treatments received: radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormonal therapy Lifestyle factors, such as using tobacco and having obesity Genetic susceptibility Subtype of breast cancer that was diagnosed How these factors interact and contribute to risk of developing a specific type of subsequent primary cancer is not well understood and needs more study. The Research A group of researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, and Institute for Health & Equity at the Medical College of Wisconsin, recently published their findings after studying the risk of 26 subsequent primary cancers among female breast cancer survivors based on their age when first diagnosed and the cancer’s hormone receptor status. “Most women live decades after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but some women may develop a new primary cancer years after successful treatment. Currently, there’s limited knowledge about the factors associated with a higher or lower risk for new primary cancers specific to breast cancer survivors, and there’s no established tool that predicts an individual’s risk of developing a new cancer. In this study, we found that the risk of developing a new primary cancer varies by the subtype of breast cancer a woman has as well as the age she was when she was first diagnosed with breast
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