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Radiation therapy ups cancer risk
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-22 13:16

The results of a study confirm that girls who undergo radiation for cancer in childhood have an increased long-term risk of developing breast cancer, regardless of their age at the time of treatment.

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When such treatment included a high dose to the ovaries, however, women seemed to be protected against future breast cancer risk.

Radiation is a common, and highly effective, treatment for cancers, such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, and adolescents and adults who receive such treatments are known to be at higher risk of developing breast cancer late in life, Dr Peter Inskip of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues note in their report.