New cancers arising in 1,563 patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated by irradiation

Abstract

This report is concerned with the incidence of multiple primary cancers developing in 1,563 patients treated for invasive carcinoma of the cervix. They were all treated by radium and/or external irradiation. Follow-up was complete with the exception of 69 patients (4.4 per cent). Total person years of observation was 8,323. Thirty second primaries of different organs and of different cell type were found. Skin cancers and multicentric squamous-celled cancers were excluded as were synchronous cancers. The observed number of second primary cancers (30) was compared to the expected number (29.2) derived from the Connecticut Cancer Registry, with the use of age- and site-specific incidence rates. No increased incidence of second cancer was found among the patients studied.