Family History of Breast Cancer in Hodgkin Disease and Future Risk of Breast Cancer

Women with Hodgkin disease (HD) who undergo thoracic radiation have an extremely high risk of breast cancer (BC), up to 56x that of the average woman. The genetics underlying this increased BC risk is unclear, and it is unknown if increased risk is observed among family members. We investigated BC risk among HD patients and relatives of women with HD. FDRs of women with HD and BC are at increased risk to develop BC beyond that of the general ~2- fold risk seen in FDRs of women with BC. Consistently, we found a very pronounced increase in BC among HD patients with FDRs with BC and 2x BC risk compared to HD patients with no BC in FDRs. This suggests an underlying genetic mechanism may predispose women with HD and their relatives to an increased risk for BC. Obtaining a BC family history at HD diagnosis could better personalize treatment concerning radiation therapy.