Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2011 Jan 4;104(1):181-7.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605967. Epub 2010 Nov 23.

Thyroid cancer risk in Belarus among children and adolescents exposed to radioiodine after the Chornobyl accident

L B Zablotska  1 , E Ron, A V Rozhko, M Hatch, O N Polyanskaya, A V Brenner, J Lubin, G N Romanov, R J McConnell, P O'Kane, V V Evseenko, V V Drozdovitch, N Luckyanov, V F Minenko, A Bouville, V B Masyakin
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Thyroid cancer risk in Belarus among children and adolescents exposed to radioiodine after the Chornobyl accident

L B Zablotska et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies showed an increased risk of thyroid cancer among children and adolescents exposed to radioactive iodines released after the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) accident, but the effects of screening, iodine deficiency, age at exposure and other factors on the dose-response are poorly understood.

Methods: We screened 11 970 individuals in Belarus aged 18 years or younger at the time of the accident who had estimated (131)I thyroid doses based on individual thyroid activity measurements and dosimetric data from questionnaires. The excess odds ratio per gray (EOR/Gy) was modelled using linear and linear-exponential functions.

Results: For thyroid doses <5 Gy, the dose-response was linear (n=85; EOR/Gy=2.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-5.47), but at higher doses the excess risk fell. The EOR/Gy was significantly increased among those with prior or screening-detected diffuse goiter, and larger for men than women, and for persons exposed before age 5 than those exposed between 5 and 18 years, although not statistically significant. A somewhat higher EOR/Gy was estimated for validated pre-screening cases.

Conclusion: 10-15 years after the Chornobyl accident, thyroid cancer risk was significantly increased among individuals exposed to fallout as children or adolescents, but the risk appeared to be lower than in other Chornobyl studies and studies of childhood external irradiation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of thyroid doses in the cohort
Figure 2
Figure 2
Categorical odds ratios and fitted dose–response lines
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Astakhova LN, Anspaugh LR, Beebe GW, Bouville A, Drozdovitch VV, Garber V, Gavrilin YI, Khrouch VT, Kuvshinnikov AV, Kuzmenkov YN, Minenko VP, Moschik KV, Nalivko AS, Robbins J, Shemiakina EV, Shinkarev S, Tochitskaya SI, Waclawiw MA (1998) Chernobyl-related thyroid cancer in children of Belarus: a case–control study. Radiat Res 150: 349–356 - PubMed
    1. Boice Jr JD (2005) Radiation-induced thyroid cancer – what's new? J Natl Cancer Inst 97: 703–705 - PubMed
    1. Breslow NE, Day NE (1987) Statistical Methods in Cancer Research. Volume 2 – The Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies. International Agency for Research on Cancer: Lyon - PubMed
    1. Cardis E, Kesminiene A, Ivanov V, Malakhova I, Shibata Y, Khrouch V, Drozdovitch V, Maceika E, Zvonova I, Vlassov O, Bouville A, Goulko G, Hoshi M, Abrosimov A, Anoshko J, Astakhova L, Chekin S, Demidchik E, Galanti R, Ito M, Korobova E, Lushnikov E, Maksioutov M, Masyakin V, Nerovnia A, Parshin V, Parshkov E, Piliptsevich N, Pinchera A, Polyakov S, Shabeka N, Suonio E, Tenet V, Tsyb A, Yamashita S, Williams D (2005) Risk of thyroid cancer after exposure to 131I in childhood. J Natl Cancer Inst 97: 724–732 - PubMed
    1. CTB. Chernobyl Tissue Bank. Available at: http://www.chernobyltissuebank.com/research.html, Accessed 25 May 2010

Publication types

Substances