Single-center retrospective cohort study of risk of secondary cancer among lung cancer survivors after definitive treatment

Second primary cancers are an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and resource use among lung cancer survivors, yet their risk relative to recurrence and their determinants have been incompletely defined. A retrospective cohort study at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) aimed to quantify the competing risks of recurrence, intrathorax new cancer, and non-lung secondary cancers (NLSCs) after curative-intent local theray for non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study of 496 NSCLC survivors, 5-year cumulative incidence was 11.5% for recurrence and 5.6% for NLSC. Intrathoracic new cancer incidence was 16.8% versus 10.4% for extrathoracic cancer at 5 years. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that the risk of NLSC is clinically meaningful and concentrated in genetically predisposed survivors, supporting risk-adapted surveillance beyond the chest.