Cancer treatments lead in Leukemia later on in life

There are various cancer treatments that hit tumor cells; however, they can also create an impact into the normal and healthy cells. Because of this, the risk of developing leukemia later on in life is possible and the patient’s risk becomes higher. The therapy linked to leukemia is usually deadly; the primary cases are those who have survived breast cancer. The therapy related leukemia or better called TRL by the doctors is said to be because of the mutational happenings that activates through being exposed to cytotoxic drugs, which are often used during the cancer treatment. However, the researchers just don’t know how this happens and the risk factors are.

The truth that those who have survived cancer are now living longer after the treatment makes determinations to comprehend and restrict this complication from taking place. There was a team led by Dr. Churpek of the University of Chicago, they checked the traits of the 88 breast cancer survivors with the TRL. All of which were between the age 23 to 83 when the breast cancer were first detected and with an average age of 52 years.

The reasons behind the TRL

Some details about the cytotoxic exposure is not available for 98% of the members, while 78% of the subjects went through the treatment with chemotherapy, 79% of which got a radiation therapy, while the others got both types of treatment to heal. Of the 88 members who went through the study, 22% of which have an added cancer case. Of the 70 members with the family background, 57% of which had a relative with breast cancer, pancreatic cancer or cancer of the ovary. Of the 47 subjects with the DNA data available, 21% of which had inherited the mutation in a gene that has been linked with cancer and that includes the BRCA1 & the BRCA2.

Those who have survived breast cancer and developed TRL later on usually have a background that links them to a possible inherited cancer, according to Dr. Churpek.  The doctor suggests that this information can help the doctors when it comes to becoming more individualized when it comes to the treatment approach to the possible risks and advantages of the primary treatments for breast cancer. The researchers wished that the diagnosis will be the very first leap forward when it comes to seeking ways to prevent a serious and possibly severe life risk treatment linked with complications.

In an editorial page published by the school of Medicine in Baltimore, the doctors emphasized the point that it may also be hard to know what actually creates the therapy related leukemia and what might be the second malignancy that is unlinked to the past treatment.  They have also added that all of the present familial cancer records may possibly be useful to aid and to determine the rate of recurrence of TRL along with their connections with the therapies taken and the known germline genetic alterations.