Cancer consequences of the Chernobyl accident: 20 years on

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24/04/2006

Elisabeth Cardis1,24, Geoffrey Howe2, Elaine Ron3, Vladimir Bebeshko4, Tetyana Bogdanova5, Andre Bouville3, Zhanat Carr6, VadimChumak4, Scott Davis7, Yuryi Demidchik8, VladimirDrozdovitch1, Norman Gentner9, Natalya Gudzenko4, Maureen Hatch3, Victor Ivanov10, Peter Jacob11, Eleonora Kapitonova12, Yakov Kenigsberg13, Ausrele Kesminiene1, Kenneth J Kopecky14, Victor Kryuchkov15, Anja Loos1, Aldo Pinchera16,17, Christoph Reiners18, Michael Repacholi6, Yoshisada Shibata19, Roy E Shore20, Gerry Thomas21, Margot Tirmarche22, Shunichi Yamashita6,19 and Irina Zvonova23

Type de document > *Article de revue
Unité de recherche > IRSN/DRPH/SRBE/LEPID
Auteurs > TIRMARCHE Margot

26 April 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. On this occasion, the World Health Organization (WHO), within the UN Chernobyl Forum initiative, convened an Expert Group to evaluate the health impacts of Chernobyl. This paper summarises the findings relating to cancer. A dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer has been observed among those exposed to radioactive iodines in childhood and adolescence in the most contaminated territories. Iodine deficiency may have increased the risk of developing thyroid cancer following exposure to radioactive iodines, while prolonged stable iodine supplementation in the years after exposure may reduce this risk. Although increases in rates of other cancers have been reported, much of these increases appear to be due to other factors, including improvements in registration, reporting and diagnosis. Studies are few, however, and have methodological limitations. Further, because most radiation-related solid cancers continue to occur decades after exposure and because only 20 years have passed since the accident, it is too early to evaluate the full radiological impact of the accident. Apart from the large increase in thyroid cancer incidence in young people, there are at present no clearly demonstrated radiation-related increases in cancer risk. This should not, however, be interpreted to mean that no increase has in fact occurred: based on the experience of other populations exposed to ionising radiation, a small increase in the relative risk of cancer is expected, even at the low to moderate doses received. Although it is expected that epidemiological studies will have difficulty identifying such a risk, it may nevertheless translate into a substantial number of radiation-related cancer cases in the future, given the very large number of individuals exposed.

 

1/ International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon CEDEX 08, France
2/ Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th Street, Room 1104, New York, NY 10032, USA
3/ Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Building EPS, MS 7238, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
4/ Scientific Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 53 Melnikova street, 04050 Kiev, Ukraine
5/ Morphology of Endocrine System Laboratory, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academy of Medical Sciences, Vyshgorodska Street 69, Kiev, 04114, Ukraine
6/ Radiation and Environmental Health Unit, Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211, Geneva-27, Switzerland
7/ Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, 1100 Fairview Avenue N M4-B874, PO Box 19024, Seattle, Washington, WA 98109-1024, USA
8/ Department of Oncology, Belarusian State Medical University, 64, build 4, F Scariny Avenue, 220013 Minsk, Belarus
9/ Rantz Road, Petawawa, ON, Canada
10/ Medical Radiological Research Centre, Koroleva, 4, Obninsk 249020, Kaluga Region, The Russian Federation
11/ GSF National Research Center, Institute of Radiation Protection, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
12/ Republican Research Centre of Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, Ilicha street 290, 246042 Gomel, Belarus
13/ National Commission of Radiation Protection, Belarus 220004, Belarus, Minsk, Prospect Pobediteley 23, Belarus
14/ Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, 1100 Fairview Avenue N M3-C102, PO Box 19024, Seattle, Washington, WA 98109-1024, USA
15/ State Research Center of the Russian Federation, Institute of Biophysics of the Public Health Ministry of the Russian Federation, Zhivopisnay street, 46, Moscow, 123182, the Russian Federation
16/ Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
17/ WHO Collaborating Centre for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Cancer, Via Paradisa, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
18/ Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Straße, D-97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
19/ Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, 852-8523 Nagasaki, Japan
20/ Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima-Nagasaki 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0815, Japan
21/ South West Wales Cancer Institute, Singleton Hospital, Sketty Lane, Swansea SA2 8QA, UK
22/ Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Direction de la radioprotection de l'homme, BP 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
23/ Laboratory of Internal Exposure, Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene, ulitsa Mira, 8, 197101, St. Petersburg, Russia
24/ Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed E-mail: cardis@iarc.fr

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