Therapeutic radiation at a young age is linked to secondary thyroid cancer

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 51; no. 11; pp. 2885 - 2888
• Main Authors: TUCKER, M. A, MORRIS JONES, P. H, MEADOWS, A. T, HOOVER, R. N, FRAUMENI, J. F, BOICE, J. D, ROBISON, L. L, STONE, B. J, STOVALL, M, JENKIN, R. D. T, LUBIN, J. H, BAUM, E. S, SIEGEL, S. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 01.06.1991
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Radiation therapy and radiosensitizing agent; Treatment with physical agents; Treatment. General aspects; Tumors; Human; Endocrinopathy; Treatment; Second cancer; Toxicity; Risk factor; Tumor; Thyroid gland; Malignant tumor; Radiotherapy; Child
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445

We estimated the risk of thyroid cancer among 9170 patients who had survived 2 or more years after the diagnosis of a cancer in childhood. As compared with the general population, patients had a 53-fold increased risk (95% confidence interval, 34-80). Risk increased significantly with time since treatment for the initial cancer. Detailed treatment data were obtained for 23 cases and 89 matched controls from the childhood cancer cohort. 68% of the thyroid cancers arose within the field of radiation. Radiation doses to the thyroid of > 200 cGy were associated with a 13-fold increased risk (95% confidence interval, 1.7-104). The risk of thyroid cancer rose with increasing dose, but this was derived almost entirely from the increase from < 200 to > 200 cGy. The risk of thyroid cancer did not decrease, however, at radiation doses as high as 6000 cGy.