Thyroid cancer incidence among Chernobyl emergency workers: assessment of radiation risks

A vast amount of research articles devoted to the increase in childhood thyroid cancer incidence in the most contaminated with radionuclides territories of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine affected by the Chernobyl accident were published in recent years. However, the amount of research studies of thyroid cancer incidence among the Chernobyl emergency workers (liquidators) is quite scanty. In the article results of the study of thyroid cancer incidence in the cohort of the Chernobyl liquidators (103427 persons) residing in 6 administrative regions of Russia (North-West, Volgo-Vyatsky, Cen-tral-Chernozemny, Povolzhsky, North-Caucasus and Urals) are described and discussed. For the period 1986-2003 eighty seven cases of thyroid cancer were detected in the cohort. Statistically significant excess of the incidence among liquidators over baseline incidence, SIR=3.39 (95% CI: 2.73; 4.16), among men of Russia has been found. At the same time no statistically significant relationship between the incidence rate and external radiation dose, ERR=1.68 (95% CI: -0.95; 6.46), was detected.