Breast cancer in women following mantle irradiation for Hodgkin's disease

Abstract

The increased risk of developing solid malignant tumors following treatment of Hodgkin's disease has been established in the literature. The association between mantle irradiation for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease and breast carcinoma has only recently been studied in large populations of cured patients. Several factors including age at radiation treatment, the time between treatment and discovery of the cancer, and radiation dosimetry affect the relative risk of the patient for developing breast cancer. Because there appears to be an increased risk of breast cancer in this patient population, a vigilant screening routine should be initiated, and aggressive operative therapy should be considered.