Iatrogenic Second Tumors

The recent introduction of new chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic schemes into clinical practice has led to the improvement in the overall survival of cancer patients. Hodgkin’s disease, testicular cancer, and pediatric malignancies are the pathologies with the highest survival rate; improved cure rates have also been achieved for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. However, the long-term survival and/or recovery conferred by these treatments paradoxically expose cancer patients to a higher risk of important longterm complications, the most serious of which is the development of a second tumor.