Hodgkin's disease is a malignancy which can be cured even in advanced
stages. Patients who have survived this illness, however, are at risk
for developing a second malignant disorder. Several factors, including
treatment itself, influence the risk of developing the secondary canc
ers. The patient's age at the time of treatment, however, is the most
significant factor relating to second-cancer risk. With the exception
of thyroid carcinomas, sarcomas, and probably breast cancer, which are
most clearly increased in patients treated with radiotherapy during c
hildhood or adolescence, the risk for any second malignancy, including
myelogenous leukemia, rises when patients are treated at the age of 4
0 years or more.