Although we now know that childhood cancer
survivors are likely to experience more cancers
as adults than are individuals of similar age in the general population as a result of host-related factors (eg, deletion of
the RB1 gene, which causes heritable retinoblastoma) and that certain
aspects of anticancer treatment increase the risk of SMNs, our knowledge
is constrained by the limited follow-up period (25 to 30 years) of
the existing survivor cohorts.