Cancer consequences of the Chernobyl accident: 20 years on

doi:10.1088/0952-4746/26/2/001

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Journal of Radiological Protection

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Journal of Radiological Protection Volume 26 Number 2 Create an alert RSS this journal

Elisabeth Cardis et al 2006 J. Radiol. Prot. 26 127 doi:10.1088/0952-4746/26/2/001

Cancer consequences of the Chernobyl accident: 20 years on

FEATURED ARTICLE REVIEW ARTICLE

Elisabeth Cardis^1,24, Geoffrey Howe², Elaine Ron³, Vladimir Bebeshko⁴, Tetyana Bogdanova⁵, Andre Bouville³, Zhanat Carr⁶, Vadim Chumak⁴, Scott Davis⁷, Yuryi Demidchik⁸, Vladimir Drozdovitch¹, Norman Gentner⁹, Natalya Gudzenko⁴, Maureen Hatch³, Victor Ivanov¹⁰, Peter Jacob¹¹, Eleonora Kapitonova¹², Yakov Kenigsberg¹³, Ausrele Kesminiene¹, Kenneth J Kopecky¹⁴, Victor Kryuchkov¹⁵, Anja Loos¹, Aldo Pinchera^16,17, Christoph Reiners¹⁸, Michael Repacholi⁶, Yoshisada Shibata¹⁹, Roy E Shore²⁰, Gerry Thomas²¹, Margot Tirmarche²², Shunichi Yamashita^6,19 and Irina Zvonova²³

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cardis@iarc.fr

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 2, 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 S hat u reté 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

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Abstract References Cited By

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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.

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