Report No. 170 – Second Primary Cancers and Cardiovascular Disease after Radiation Therapy (2011)

Advances in cancer therapy, early detection of cancer, and supportive care have contributed to steady gains in the five year relative survival rate for all cancers considered together, reaching 66.1 % between 1999 to 2006. These successes are associated with a tripling of the number of cancer survivors in the United States since 1971, and the numbers are growing by 2 % each year. As of 2007, there were ~12 million men and women in the United States with a history of cancer, representing 3.5 % of the population. Radiation remains a cornerstone of successful cancer treatment, with 50 % of all patients estimated to have received radiation therapy for the management of their cancer. For many patients, the gains in survival have come at the price of serious treatment-associated late effects.

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Table of Contents
Preface