What a dilemma, then, when you’re faced with needing radiation therapy to help treat your cancer. The doctor feels you need it to get rid of the cancer now. But will exposing yourself to the radiation treatment increase your chances of getting cancer again somewhere down the road? Unfortunately, the evidence says it does in some cases.

Radiation Uses High Energy to Kill

According to the National Cancer Institute, radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The problem is that it can damage normal cells at the same time. Radiologists do their best to minimize this damage by carefully targeting the treatment, but so far medical technology has no way to totally eliminate this peripheral damage.

Radiation side effects include skin damage and burns, hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and others, depending on which part of the body is treated. These effects usually fade after treatment is over, but other effects can appear later. They may include memory loss, fibrosis, infertility, and finally, in some cases, second cancers.

Radiation Increases Risk of Second Cancers

Science so far shows us that radiation treatments do increase the risk of a second cancer later in life. For example, girls who receive radiation to the chest for Hodgkin’s lymphoma have an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life—about three to seven times the risk of those who never received radiation. Survivors of childhood cancer who received radiation have an increased risk of brain and spinal column tumors. Rare cancers like those of the bone and cartilage (sarcomas) have also been linked with prior radiation therapy, as have bladder cancers after earlier treatment for prostate cancer.

The lifetime risk of a second cancer is highest in people who were treated as children or adolescents. The risk goes down significantly for those treated after the age of 40. Most secondary malignancies occur 15–20 years after the initial radiation therapy.

Other Factors Involved in Developing Another Cancer

Like any cancer, a second cancer depends on many things—the intensity and duration of the radiation treatment, for instance. Longer, more powerful treatments carry a higher risk of later cancers. The area of the body treated seems to be a factor, as the breast, thyroid and lung seem more likely to be locations for additional cancers. Lifestyle habits like smoking can increase risk, as can family history, early menopause, and chemotherapy drugs.

Research continues in an effort to reduce the risk, but in the meantime, what can you do if you’re faced with this dilemma? Remember that though your risk of a second cancer may increase, it’s still just a risk, not a certainty. You may be able to reduce your personal risk by adopting healthy habits. Second, carefully weigh your options with your radiation oncologist, and be sure the benefit of radiation treatment outweighs the risk in your particular case. Then, make the decision you and your doctor feel is best for you.

“The benefits of cancer treatment far outweigh the real, but small, risk of developing another cancer,” says the Yale Medical Group.

Have you experienced a second cancer after going through radiation therapy? Please share your story.

Photo courtesy Veee ManR via Flickr.com.

A study by researchers at the Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found just such a link—a higher level of common household pesticides in the urine samples of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). “In our study,” said lead investigator Offie Soldin, Ph.D., “we compared urine samples from children with ALL and their mothers with healthy children and their moms. We found elevated levels of common household pesticides more often in the mother-child pairs affected by cancer.”

Researchers are quick to add that so far, there’s no proof that the pesticides caused these cancers, only that the study results show a need for more research. Still, what information we have so far is frightening. According to another study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, children who live in homes where parents use pesticides are twice as likely to develop brain cancer. The study looked at more than 800 fathers and 500 mothers living in four Atlantic Coast states, and found that parents’ exposure to pesticides in the home and at work prior to conception, during gestation, and after birth were related to the increased cancer occurrences.

A new National Cancer Institute (NCI) study just published this summer in Blood, a journal of the American Society of Hematology, found that applying pesticides (particularly for farmers) doubles the risk of developing MGUS, an abnormal blood condition that can lead to cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow (multiple myeloma). “Our study is the first to show an association between pesticide exposure and an excess prevalence of MGUS,” said the study’s lead author, Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D.

Many are already aware of the danger pesticides can pose to farmers. A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that pesticides used on cotton, peanut and soybean crops increased risk of colon cancer, and pesticides used on food crops, pasture land and lawns increased risk of rectal cancer. Other studies have shown links between agricultural pesticides and prostate cancer.

But as we can see from the Georgetown study and others, it’s not just farmers at risk. A Children’s Environmental Health study found seven pesticides in 48-83% of plasma samples from pregnant women in the New York City area, and discovered these pesticides were readily transferred to the fetuses. These women weren’t exposed to heavy amounts of agricultural pesticides. More likely, exposure came from conventional produce, and common household products like sprays for roses and flowers, herbicides to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects (including bug sprays and ant baits), items to kill rodents, wood preservatives, and even in pool & spa cleaners or other disinfectants.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) agrees that young children and pregnant women are especially at risk for complications from pesticides, and urge everyone to reduce exposure by following these few steps:

• Buy organic when you can. Though “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean pesticide-free (pesticides derived from natural sources are allowed), studies have shown that organic produce typically has fewer pesticides.
• Don’t use pesticides to grown your own food.
• When you can’t buy organic, buy less-contaminated conventional produce. The EWG ranks popular fruits and vegetables based on pesticide residues. You can find their shopper’s guide here.

Have you cut back on your pesticide use? What alternatives are you employing?

Photo courtesy EcoAgriculture Partners via Flickr.com.

The movie, based on Jodi Picoult’s novel of the same name, tracks a family’s journey through Kate’s acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Each is affected in a unique way, from the older brother who becomes almost invisible to his driven parents, to the younger sister who was genetically engineered to donate blood and bone marrow to her sick sibling. The movie is very powerful, and we strongly recommended it to anyone.

Here at Cinco Vidas, however, we were interested to see just how much a young girl, who is going through cancer, benefits from the simple things we’ve been talking about here, like manicures, wigs, and a night at the dance with an attractive young man. Having been bald since her chemotherapy, Kate grows angry when searching for a dress. “Don’t tell me they don’t stare at me, because they do,” she tells her mother. We see how children—particularly young girls—can be affected by cancer treatments, and how simple things such as a well-fitting wig, some makeup, a pretty dress, and a nice manicure can help boost confidence and give a child a few moments of happiness amidst all the struggle.

Each year, New York puts on a big prom for children fighting cancer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The young patients get to borrow the fanciest dresses and gowns, all donated. “On that day,” says Dr. Farid Boulad, “everything that has to do with cancer is gone. And they are kings and queens and they are beautiful.” The children look forward to the event all year—evidence of how important such things can be.

Another thing that becomes clear as you watch the movie: with childhood cancer, we can become so obsessed with saving live that we forget to live life. It seems so wrong for a young child to be battling this disease, and certainly wrong for them to die of it. Sometimes that sense of wrongness propels us to go overboard trying to make it “right”—in other words, make the child well, the sooner the better. Of course, this is a natural and good response, but regardless of the outcome, as we concentrate on treatments and medications and getting better, we can’t forget to make sure the child enjoys life as a child. Interactions with other children; outings with family; the ability to pursue interests such as art, music, sports, as much as possible; all these things are of primary importance to any child, cancer or not, and must not be forgotten when nursing a sick child back to health.

A positive piece of news—in a study of Latino childhood cancers, Barbara L. Jones, PhD, MSW, an assistant professor and a co-director of the Institute for Grief, Loss, and Family Survival in the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin, found that cancer helped change the lives of the survivors—often for the better. “They were on a difficult path [and] a frightening cancer diagnosis caused them to stop and look at what they value, what is important. The kinds of things they thought about were the importance of their family and friends, who stands by you, what it means to be a good friend, what it means to be with someone, the value of life, appreciating the little things as well as life, and gratitude for others. They found meaning and their lives changed by facing a life-changing illness.”

If you or someone you know has a child with cancer, the Children’s Cancer Association is there to help, as well as many other organizations including the National Children’s Cancer Society, Children’s Cancer Web Page, and the American Cancer Society.  Cancerkids.org offers a place where children can tell their stories. And if you’re bringing in some sunshine to a young cancer fighter with a manicure or pedicure, a massage with lotion, or a makeover, remember to always use organic and non-toxic products on their tender skin.

Have you had an experience with childhood cancer? Please share your story.

Photo courtesy of matthewcrawford via Flickr.com.