According to lead researcher Dr Lesley Ashton of the Children's Cancer Institute, two-thirds of survivors will develop a related chronic health condition linked to earlier radiation-based treatments. "Good follow up and health care" for these patients is thus important. Dr Lesley Ashton is also the head of the Molecular Epidemiology Program at the Children's Cancer Institute.
In the paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia, Dr Ashton wrote, "Our results highlight that it is important for cancer survivors to be aware of the risk factors for complications of treatment and second cancers, and maintain good follow-up health care...we continue to look at how current therapies can be further improved." Dr. Ashton explained that these survivors may develop new tumours - particularly thyroid, breast, bone or brain cancers - linked to earlier radiation-based treatments.
He said the link may be in genes adding, "Previous research has shown there's an underlying genetic basis for the way patients respond to cancer treatments...This same genetic variation is likely to contribute to these long-term effects of cancer therapy. This is an area we are interested in pursuing... If we can map the genetic factors, we can develop more individualised cancer treatments that do not result in long-term health complications."
