> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Breast cancer treatment ups leukemia risk in survivors - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/breast_cancer_leukemia_0731120940/ - Published: 2012-07-31T22:36:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T16:05:01.000Z - Description: A review of earlier research reports that breast cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation all raise the risk of acute myeloid leukemia, with adjuvant chemotherapy and follow-up radiotherapy standing out. The authors say 1 in 20 patients develops a second, non-breast cancer within 10 years. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Drug, Health News, #vivvo-import By David Liu, PHD Tuesday July 31,2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Breast cancer treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation all increase risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a new study published online Dec 22, 2011 in Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases. Caterina Giovanna Valentini of Hematology Institute, Catholic University in Rome, Italy and colleagues reviewed previous studies and found therapies indicated for treatment of breast cancer, particularly adjuvant chemotherapy regimens and follow-up radiotherapy increase risk of developing leukemia. Additionally, growth factors adapted in the last few years to treat breast cancer boosts the risk of secondary leukemia. In the United States, 230,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Using breast cancer screening, the mortality rate has been down to 15 percent and more patients become survivors. (It should be pointed out that the low mortality rate may be due to a fact that breast cancer is diagnosed early, and patients are more likely to become survivors even if they do not receive any therapy!). However, more adverse effects such as increased risk for leukemia became more significant. The authors reported 1 in 20 patients are expected to develop a secondary non-breast cancer after 10 years of diagnosis. This is equivalent to a 22% increase in the of relative risk, particularly for secondary acute myeloid leukemia and myedisplastic sundromes (MDS). According to the authors, therapy-induced acute myeloid keukemia (t-AML) accounts for 10 to 20 percent of all cases of myeloid leukemia. Even worse, t-AML is harder to treat and has worse prognosis or has a shorter survival time. Breast cnacer patients are subject to all types of toxic treatments and they are often poor candidates for intensive AML therapy, the authors say. T-AML is relatively resistant to conventional therapies used for de novo leukemia. Studies (which could be sponsored by the industry?) suggested that acute leukemia and breast cancer share common risk factors or breast cancer patients are more vulnerable for leukemia or more susceptible to cancer risk factors, meaning that higher incidence of leukemia in breast cancer patients may not be caused by treatments. That is possible, but it is not all that contributes to the increase in the leukemia risk. It is well known that some chemotherapies and medical radiation are carcinogens. Using these therapies increases risk of cancer, which is certain. According to the authors, adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer can be particularly harmful. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy with taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) incorporated improved both disease free survival and overall survival in most studies and dose-dense drug administration resulted in a considerable improvement of breast cancer survival. But this regimen also increased t-AML/MDS rate. Also it is likely that cases of t-AML and t-MDS were under reported. Alkylating agents, which damage DNA by methlation or DNA inter-strand crosslink formation interfering with normal DNA replication, cause kekemia 5 to 7 years after exposure. Compared to surgery alone, melphalan-based chemotherapy increases risk of AML by 300 percent. Anthracyclines-based chemotherapy can cause leukemia in about two years. The authors cited a study as finding that chemotherapy and hormone treatment increased risk of leukemia more than five times, leukemia developed a few years after exposure. One study cited by the authors recorded seven cases of leukemia in the group treated with radiotherapy and only one case in the group not receiving radiotherapy. Another study showed that those who received radiotherapy were four times as likely as those who did not to develop leukemia. The risk for leukemia would be increased by 600 percent in those receiving both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, compared to those who did not receive radiotherapy. The authors summarized their findings as follows: Adjuvant chemotherapy, particularly treatment with alkylating agents and/or topoisomerase II inhibitors, increases risk of secondary myeloid neoplasms in breast cancer survivors. A low cumulative dose of anthracyclines and cyclophosphamide leads to a low risk of leukemia and a high dose, which may be used to increase the efficacy, increases the risk for developing leukemia. The incidence of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms appears to be also increased in patients treated for breast cancer with surgery alone. An elevated risk of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms is correlated with radiotherapy, particularly for women treated after the menopause. The concurrent use of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factors as supportive care in order to deliver intensive adjuvant chemotherapy could further enhance the risk for leukemia.