I agree we should be given all the facts. My radiation oncologist reassured me that the benefits outweighed the risks for my situation.
Statistics can be very difficult to fully understand. From what you have posted my understanding is that the 8% is 8% of second cancers, not 8% of everyone who has radiation treatment. In other words, of people who get a second cancer (and this percentage is not mentioned) 8% are attributable to having had radiation. This does not mean there is an 8% risk of getting a second cancer from radiation treatment. The best person to ask about this is your doctor who can probably explain it more clearly.
