Discoveries
Perini Clinic study urges better health awareness for young women treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma
Young women treated with chest radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma have an increased chance of developing breast cancer later in life. But many of them don't know about the risk, and even among those who are aware of it, many fail to have regular mammograms. These screening tests can detect breast tumors at an early stage, when they're easiest to treat.
Those are some of the findings of a DFCI study involving researchers with the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic. It is one of the first explorations of how well-informed Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors are about potential health problems, and about steps that can minimize them.
The results of the study suggest that many patients aren't getting — or aren't acting on — the message about increased breast cancer risk and the benefits of cancer screening. Forty percent of the participants incorrectly considered their risk of breast cancer to be equal to or lower than that of other women their age. Less than half reported having a mammogram in the previous two years. At the same time, women who received information from cancer physicians were more likely to understand their risk than women who got their information from other sources.
"We found that cancer physicians play an important role in teaching these young patients about their heightened risk for breast cancer and about the potential importance of screening for the disease," says the study's lead author, Lisa Diller, MD, medical director of the Perini Clinic.
