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Anne Li                                                                                                March 25th, 2017

Smokers treated for breast cancer have much higher risks than non-smokers of developing lung cancer or heart attack as a result of radiotherapy – according to a new study funded by Cancer Research UK and published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study shows that for non-smokers the long-term  risk of death from lung cancer or heart attack – caused by radiation – is only  0.5 percent. But for smokers, this increases to around 5 percent. These findings are based on a worldwide study by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group of the lung and heart radiation doses and risks among 40,781 women with breast cancer in 75 randomised trials of radiotherapy. 

See original article at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2017-03-20-radiotherapy-risks-are-much-higher-for-smokers