TUESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- The odds a second cancer will develop after radiation treatment for a first cancer are relatively low, U.S. National Cancer Institute researchers report.
In a long-term study of more than 600,000 cancer survivors, an estimated 8 percent of second cancers were attributable to radiation treatment for the original cancer, according to the study.
The results suggest that other factors, such as lifestyle risks and genetics, cause the majority of second cancers, the researchers say.
"The findings can be used by physicians to really put the risks into perspective when they are talking treatment options with their patients," said lead research...