Association between chemotherapy for surgically treated rectal cancer and second primary endometrial cancer

To examine the potential correlation between chemotherapy and the risk of individual of second primary endometrial cancer (SEC) in patients with rectal cancer (RC) and assess survival outcomes. The study employed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER) as the primary data source, it encompasses a substantial cohort of patients diagnosed with RC between 1975 and 2018. This study involved a total of 30,847 individuals diagnosed with RC, of whom 168 individuals (5.45‰) experienced SEC. Among them, 107 patients (3.47‰) received chemotherapy treatment, while 61 patients (1.98‰) did not receive chemotherapy. The analysis of the overall occurrence of SEC revealed a significant association between SEC and chemotherapy treatment. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association between chemotherapy treatment and an increased risk of developing SEC in RC patients. Upon implementation of a dynamic analysis on the variables of relative risk and standardized incidence ratios, the results revealed that the likelihood of SEC escalated in tandem with advancing age. The examination of patients who developed SEC after receiving and not receiving chemotherapy revealed no substantial disparities in the 10-year overall survival (OS) and (cancer-specific survival) CSS rates. The results were the same after propensity score matching. Nevertheless, a notable discrepancy emerged when comparing the OS and CSS rates at 10 years between patients afflicted with SEC subsequent to chemotherapy and those afflicted with primary endometrial cancer, and the result was the same situation in the no-chemotherapy group. The use of chemotherapy in RC patients has been associated with an increased probability of developing specific SEC. Therefore, it is imperative to prioritize efforts aimed at reducing chemotherapy-related SEC occurrences and improving the prognosis of affected individuals.