Breast Cancer Survivors Face Minimal Increased Cancer Risks, Study Finds

According to a study published in August 2025, women who have survived early-stage breast cancer face only a marginally higher risk of developing a new, unrelated cancer compared to the general population. The findings, led by Dr. David Dodwell of Oxford Population Health, are expected to provide reassurance to breast cancer survivors as they plan for their future.

The researchers analyzed data from England's national cancer registry, tracking whether any of the women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer had later been diagnosed with a second primary non-breast cancer. They found that 13.6% of the women studied developed a second cancer, a figure only slightly higher than the general population.

"Our study confirms that the risks of new cancers are higher for breast cancer survivors than for other women," said Dr. Dodwell. "However, these additional risks are small in comparison to the risks of recurrence and breast cancer death in the great majority of women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer."

Cancer Research UK's Caroline Geraghty echoed this sentiment, stating that the findings are "very promising" and should offer some comfort to breast cancer survivors. "We've known for a while that having breast cancer increases a person's chance of developing a different, unrelated cancer, but until now we haven't known how much higher this chance was," she said.