Thyroid carcinoma in man after exposure to ionizing radiation. A summary of the findings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

THE present study reviews thyroid carcinoma detected during a three-year period in the Adult Health Study populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and was undertaken to determine whether or not a relation exists between previous exposure to ionizing radiation and the subsequent development of thyroid carcinoma. All cases were found during routine medical examinations of matched groups of exposed and nonexposed subjects co-operating in the long-term medical investigations of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. The current literature1 2 3 4 5 6 indicates that there may well be a relation between the prevalence of thyroid cancer and prior irradiation of the neck area for thymic enlargement . . .