Risks of second primary cancers

A substantial proportion of new cancer diagnoses are second primary cancers among individuals with a personal history of cancer. As cancer survival improves, it is expected that the number of people with second cancers will increase. The higher risk of cancer among cancer survivors is partly due to shared risk factors, including genetics and lifestyle, treatment for the first cancer, and shared biological processes. The aim of this project will be to quantify the risks of second primary cancers among cancer survivors by cancer type, and associated risk factors, in the Million Women Study, a prospective cohort of 1.3 million women from the UK, and in other large UK cohorts, such as UK Biobank. 

Many previous studies on this topic have necessarily relied on national record linkage studies with substantial power but limited information on participant characteristics. The proposed use of the Million Women Study and other large cohorts with rich information on common risk factors for many cancers, will allow exploration of the extent to which increased risks of second cancers are likely to be due to shared known risk factors (e.g. smoking, BMI), to common biological processes, or to the consequences of cancer treatment.

research experience, research methods and skills training

The project will provide experience in handling and analysing large-scale genetic and other data. Training in statistics, genetic epidemiology and research methods will be available. It is anticipated that the project will lead to some publications.