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
. 2017 Mar-Apr;61(2):180-187.
doi: 10.1590/2359-3997000000257. Epub 2017 Feb 16.

Radiation exposure and thyroid cancer: a review

Maria Laura Iglesias  1 , Angelica Schmidt  2 , Abir Al Ghuzlan  1 , Ludovic Lacroix  1 , Florent de Vathaire  1   3 , Sylvie Chevillard  4 , Martin Schlumberger  1
Affiliations

Radiation exposure and thyroid cancer: a review

Maria Laura Iglesias et al. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

The association between radiation exposure and the occurrence of thyroid cancer has been well documented, and the two main risk factors for the development of a thyroid cancer are the radiation dose delivered to the thyroid gland and the age at exposure. The risk increases after exposure to a mean dose of more than 0.05-0.1 Gy (50-100mGy). The risk is more important during childhood and decreases with increased age at exposure, being low in adults. After exposure, the minimum latency period before the appearance of thyroid cancers is 5 to 10 years. Papillary carcinoma (PTC) is the most frequent form of thyroid carcinoma diagnosed after radiation exposure, with a higher prevalence of the solid subtype in young children with a short latency period and of the classical subtype in cases with a longer latency period after exposure. Molecular alterations, including intra-chromosomal rearrangements, are frequently found. Among them, RET/PTC rearrangements are the most frequent. Current research is directed on the mechanism of genetic alterations induced by radiation and on a molecular signature that can identify the origin of thyroid carcinoma after a known or suspected exposure to radiation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Work-up of subjects with a history of external radiation during childhood.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Duffy BJ, Fitzgerald PJ. Thyroid cancer in childhood and adolescence. A report on twenty-eight cases. Cancer. 1950;3(6):1018-32. - PubMed
    1. Socolow EL, Hashizume A, Neriishi S, Niitani R. Thyroid carcinoma in man after exposure to ionizing radiation. A summary of the findings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. N Engl J Med. 1963;268: 406-10. - PubMed
    1. Conard RA, Dobyns BM, Sutow WW. Thyroid neoplasia as late effect of exposure to radioactive iodine in fallout. JAMA. 1970;214(2):316-24. - PubMed
    1. Kazakov VS, Demidchik EP, Astakhova LN. Thyroid cancer after Chernobyl. Nature. 1992;359(6390):21. - PubMed
    1. Ron E, Lubin JH, Shore RE, Mabuchi K, Modan B, Pottern LM, et al. Thyroid cancer after exposure to external radiation: a pooled analysis of seven studies. 1995. Radiat Res. 2012;178(2):AV43-60. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources