Thyroid neoplasia risk is increased nearly 30 years after the Chernobyl accident
Menée sur une cohorte incluant 10 073 personnes résidant en 1986 dans des régions ukrainiennes proches de la centrale nucléaire de Tchernobyl et âgées de moins de 18 ans au moment de l'accident, cette étude analyse la persistance du risque de cancer ou d'adénome folliculaire de la thyroïde 30 ans après la catastrophe
To evaluate risk of thyroid neoplasia nearly 30 years following exposure to radioactive iodine (I-131) from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, we conducted a fifth cycle of thyroid screening of the Ukrainian-American cohort during 2012–2015, following four previous screening cycles started in 1998. We identified 47 thyroid cancers (TC) and 33 follicular adenomas (FA) among 10,073 individuals who were <18 years at the time of the accident and had a mean I-131 dose of 0.62 Gy. We found a significant I-131 dose response for both TC and FA, with an excess odd ratio per Gy of 1.36 (95% CI: 0.39–4.15) and 2.03 (95% CI: 0.55–6.69), respectively. The excess risk of malignant and benign thyroid neoplasia persists nearly three decades after exposure and underscores the importance of continued follow-up of this cohort to characterize long-term pattern of I-131 risk.