What Are Second Cancers?

Advances in cancer early detection and treatment mean that more and more people are surviving cancer. Some survivors may live cancer free for the remainder of their life after treatment, but others may be affected by a number of non-cancer related problems and treatment side effects.

Often, a cancer survivor's greatest concern is facing cancer again . It's important for all cancer survivors to know it's possible to get another (new) cancer, even after surviving the first. This is called a second cancer.

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The P站视频 medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

P站视频 (P站视频). Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. Atlanta, GA: P站视频; 2020.

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P站视频 (P站视频). Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Facts & Figures 2019-2021. Atlanta, GA: P站视频; 2019.

Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (NIH). Second primary cancers. Accessed at https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/what-we-study/second-cancers on September 19, 2019.

Fung C, Bhatia S, Allan JM, et al. Second cancers. In DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2019:2155-2173.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Clinical practice guidelines: Survivorship. Version 2.2019. Accessed at www.nccn.org on January 6, 2020.

Rowland, JH, Mollica, M, Kent EE. Survivorship. In Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:732-740.

Last Revised: April 29, 2025

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What Are Second Cancers?

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