Multiple primary cancers are those where a person has two or more different primary cancerous growths at one time or at different times.
Details show that about 5% of all cancer patients is likely to be affected by multiple primary cancer.
Some of the factors that make one vulnerable to develop second cancer are genetics, exposure to certain compounds and physical characteristics, treatments administered in the first cancer.
In diagnosing such cases synchronous and metachronous tumors are defined by specific standards that help make the diagnosis.
When oncology is being delivered across several cancer types, issues involved in sequencing treatments and toxicities from different modalities arises.