Risk of Hematological Malignancies among Chernobyl Liquidators

Abstract

A case-control study of hematological malignancies was conducted among Chernobyl liquidators (accident recovery workers) from Belarus, Russia and Baltic countries in order to assess the effect of low-to-medium dose protracted radiation exposures on the relative risk of these diseases. The study was nested within cohorts of liquidators who had worked in 1986–87 around the Chernobyl plant. 117 cases (69 leukemia, 34 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and 14 other malignancies of lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue) and 481 matched controls were included in the study. Individual dose to the bone marrow and uncertainties were estimated for each subject. The main analyses were restricted to 70 cases (40 leukemia, 20 NHL and 10 other) and their 287 matched controls with reliable information on work in the Chernobyl area. Most subjects received very low doses (median 13 mGy). For all diagnoses combined, a significantly elevated OR was seen at doses of 200 mGy and above. The Excess Relative Risk (ERR) per 100 mGy was 0.60 (90% confidence interval (CI): −0.02, 2.35). The corresponding estimate for leukemia excluding chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) was 0.50 (90%CI −0.38, 5.7). It is slightly higher than, but statistically compatible with, those estimated from a-bomb survivors and recent low dose-rate studies. Although sensitivity analyses showed generally similar results, we cannot rule out the possibility that biases and uncertainties could have led to over or underestimation of the risk in this study.

30 years After the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident: Time for Reflection and Re-evaluation of Current Disaster Preparedness Plans

“…8 Increased risks of leukemia, although not statistically significant, were reported from a study of Chernobyl cleanup workers from Belarus, Russia, and Baltic countries. 9 Similar findings were reported for Russian cleanup workers from the analysis based on the official reported doses and the Chernobyl Registry-based leukemia diagnoses. 10 We recently reported the results of 20-year follow-up of a cohort of 110,000 cleanup workers from Ukraine.…”

Response to low-dose X-irradiation is p53-dependent in a papillary thyroid carcinoma model system

“…In addition, Cardis et al (23) showed that there was a significant increase in the risk of certain cancers in workers of nuclear facilities (24). Radiation in the form of radioiodine is also used as a treatment for thyroid cancer albeit at higher doses (25), although studies have explored the possibility of using lower doses of radiation in cancer therapy for certain cancers (26)(27)(28).…”

“…However, there was no increase in the median number of foci per nucleus at the lowest irradiation dose compared to the control: 0 (0-0) vs. 0 (0-0) foci/nucleus [median (interquartile range)]. Only at the higher doses was there an increase to 2 (0-9) for 0.5 Gy, and 26 (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32) foci per nucleus for 4 Gy ( Fig. 2A), both significant at p<0.05.…”

Hematological Malignancies in Chernobyl Clean-Up Workers (1996-2010)

“…Prisyazhniuk et al stated statistically significant increment in observed-to-predicted ratio of leukemia and lymphoma incidence: 2.6 in 1990-1993 and 2.0 in 1994-1997 [8] . Kesmeniene et al reported on 117 cases of neoplasms of lymphoid and hematopoietic tissues in Belarus, Russia and Baltic countries as of 2007 [9] . In a study of the cohort of male clean-up workers in Ukraine subjected to the external radiation exposure, the investigators at the National Cancer Institute (USA) observed a radiation-related risk of leukemia comparable to risks experienced by Japanese atomic bomb survivors with acute exposure [10] .…”