Young individuals (less than 30 years of age) with Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with radiation to the chest are at increased risk of second cancers, including breast cancer.

Breast cancer screening can detect this cancer early and make a difference in the treatment and outcome of the disease. Screening commonly involves doing an annual breast checkup with a doctor (clinical examination) and an X-ray of the breast (called a mammogram).

However, doctors from the Massachusetts General Hospital have found in a recent study that an annual mammogram may not be enough for Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors. In their study on patients with Hodgkin's treated with radiation to the chest, they found that a high percentage of those who went on to get breast cancer had normal screening mammo reports. They suggest that since survivors of Hodgkin's lymphoma are at high risk for developing breast cancer, it may be worthwhile to additionally do an MRI scan to detect some very early lesions that the mammo cannot catch.