Breast radiation-associated secondary malignancies: A review

Abstract

Secondary malignancies are a late complication of radiation treatment for primary cancer through DNA damage. Specifically after breast cancer radiation, a number of tissues are vulnerable to radiation damage and have increased risk for developing secondary malignancies including lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and contralateral breast cancer. Radiation dose must be minimized to healthy tissues, and patients monitored for potential complications as secondary malignancies can occur decades after original radiation. Through evaluation and examination of current literature, this review article aims to summarize molecular mechanisms of DNA damage and radiation-induced malignancies, and discuss the types of secondary neoplasms including radiation induced breast cancer and therapy-associated myeloid neoplasms.