Breast cancer research for cure, cause and prevention is an on-going struggle for scientists, for the benefit of humanity. Recent Dutch studies and analyses have shown that a young woman who receives radiation for cancer in one breast might develop cancer in the other breast, because of the same radiation. The risk of a woman developing breast cancer in her unaffected breast increases dramatically if said woman has a history of breast cancer in her family.

Other scientists partially dismiss the findings as being a current threat, as the radiation techniques that may lead to contralateral breast cancer aren’t being used nowadays. The patients who developed cancer in the healthy breast were treated years ago, with techniques out of use – at least in the U.S. Risk factors in developing breast cancer, beside family history, are also the BRCA1 or two genetic mutations. These elements were not factored in when the study was conducted, and many scientists believe that the Dutch researchers might have had different results if they had considered these factors. In other words, the women might have developed contralateral breast cancer due to these high-risk factors rather than because of radiation.

Today, identifying patients who are candidates for mastectomy (breast removal) and not lumpectomy (breast-conservation) drastically reduces the chances of a woman who underwent lumpectomy to develop contralateral breast cancer. The Dutch study concludes, however, that a woman who had breast cancer has higher chances to develop it again, in the other breast. The radiation did not drastically increase the chances of developing contralateral breast cancer, as genetic predispositions have much more “influence” in developing breast cancer.

Another conclusion of the study is that young breast cancer survivors who have a family history of breast cancer and who undergo radiation after a mastectomy or lumpectomy have a higher chance of developing breast cancer again, as opposed to older patients. The discovery may lead to modifications in the future assigning of breast cancer treatments involving radiations.