Breast cancer treatment may be complicated by leukemia risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Use of growth factors with chemotherapy for breast cancer could increase risk of leukemia.
Chemotherapy often depletes the white blood cells, making patients vulnerable to infection. That is why growth factors such as granulocyte-colony stimulating factor are often used to protect the cells. But researchers at Columbia University now report that such growth factors, used with chemotherapy for breast cancer, can cause other health problems.

They looked at a group of 5,510 women aged 65 or more who had been treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer between 1991 and 1999. Among those who had been treated with growth factors as well, the rate of two blood diseases - acute myelocytic leukemia and acute myelodysplastic syndrome - was 1.77 per cent. Among those who did not receive growth factors, the rate of these complications was 1.04 per cent. These rates are both small, but should be taken note of, as the use of protective growth factors is on the increase. In general, however, the use of growth factors is a beneficial addition to chemotherapy for women having treatment for breast cancer. Moreover the current study does not show that growth factors are the actual cause of the blood disease complications.

Source
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 7th February 2007 Volume 99 pages 196-205

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