Incidence and mortality of second primary malignancies after lymphoma: a population-based analysis

Second primary malignancies (SPMs) account for an increasing proportion of human malignancies. We estimated the incidence, risk factors and outcomes in lymphoma survivors with SPMs.

Patients diagnosed with SPMs after primary lymphoma from 2010 to 2021 were included in this study. The incidence, mortality and clinical characteristics of SPMs in our center and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were delineated and analyzed. Standardized incidence ratio quantified second cancer risk.

A total of 2912 patients of lymphoma were included, 63 cases of SPM met the inclusion criteria, with the prevalence of SPMs after lymphoma was 2.16%. The male-to-female ratio of 2.32:1. The majority of these patients were older (≥60 years old, 61.90%) and previously treated with chemotherapy (68.25%). The common types among SPMs were digestive system tumors (42.86%), respiratory system tumors (20.63%) and urinary system tumors (12.70%). Additionally, cancer risks were significantly elevated after specific lymphoma though calculating the expected incidence. In terms of mortality, the diagnosis of SPMs was significantly associated with an increased risk of death over time. Moreover, although the outcome was favorable in some SPM subtypes (thyroid and breast cancer), other SPMs such as stomach and lung tumors had a dismal prognosis.

With the improvement of medical standards, the survival of lymphoma patients has been prolonged. However, the incidence of SPM is increasing, particularly among men and older lymphoma survivors. Therefore, more attention should be invested in the SPM to further improve the prognosis of these patients.