1. ¹Department of Radiation Sciences (Oncology), Umeå University Hospital, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
2. ²Department of Oncology, Radiology and Clinical immunology, Section of Oncology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
3. ³Division of Haematology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
4. ⁴Department of Oncology, Lund University Hospital, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
5. ⁵Department of Medicine, Division of Haematology, Vrinnevi Hospital, 601 82 Norrköping, Sweden
6. ⁶Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital at Huddinge, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden
7. ⁷Department of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahglrenska University Hospital, 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden

Correspondence: Dr A Andersson, E-mail: anne.andersson@onkologi.umu.se

Received 9 November 2007; Revised 11 January 2008; Accepted 14 January 2008; Published online 12 February 2008.

Abstract

This study estimated the risk of second primary malignancies after Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in relation to family history of cancer, age at diagnosis and latency, among 6946 patients treated for HL in Sweden in 1965–1995 identified through the Swedish Cancer Register (SCR). First-degree relatives (FDRs) to the HL patients and their malignancies were then ascertained together with their malignancies through the Multi-Generation Registry and SCR. The HL patient cohort was stratified on the number of FDRs with cancer, and standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) of developing SM were analysed. In the HL cohort, 781 SM were observed 1 year or longer after HL diagnosis. The risk for developing SM increased with the number of FDRs with cancer, SIRs being 2.26, 3.01, and 3.45 with 0, 1, or 2 FDRs with cancer, respectively. Hodgkin's lymphoma long-term survivors treated at a young age with a family history of cancer carry an increased risk for developing SM and may represent a subgroup where standardised screening for the most common cancer sites could be offered in a stringent surveillance programme.