Pancreatic carcinoma as a sequel to therapy of lymphoma

Development of a carcinoma in the pancreas of a young man who had five years previously undergone intensive radiotherapy and subsequent chemotherapy for treatment of a lymphoma suggests that induction of the second neoplasm occurred as the result of the therapy of the first. While definitive proof of causality is lacking, a review of recent literature strongly suggests that the association noted in the patient described is more than serendipitous. Increased usage of high-dose radiotherapy, particularly in conjunction with chemotherapy, may be directly related, and it is imperative that such an association be kept in mind when such patients are seen in follow-up.