The blame game.

A SEER analysis of breast cancer subtypes in young female survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) shows that about 5% eventually developed breast cancer. Among these, 57% were ER(+) and 34% were ER(-). Interestingly, receiving radiation was associated with ER(+) cancer while the increased risk of ER(-) cancer wasn’t explained by treatment modality. Radiation may contribute to the excess risk of ER(+), but not ER(-), breast cancers among HL survivors.