Incidence of Female Breast Cancer among Atomic Bomb Survivors, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1950-1980

Ascertainment of breast cancer incidence among the cohort of the RERF Life Span Study extended sample identified 574 breast cancers among 564 cases diagnosed during 1950-1980 of which 412 cancers were reviewed microscopically. There were no dose-dependent differences with respect to diagnostic certa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation research 1987-11, Vol.112 (2), p.243-272
Main Authors: Tokunaga, Masayoshi, Land, Charles E., Yamamoto, Tsutomu, Asano, Masahide, Tokuoka, Shoji, Ezaki, Haruo, Nishimori, Issei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Atomic bombs
Biological and medical sciences
Biological effects of radiation
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology
Breast Neoplasms - etiology
Cancer
Dose response relationship
Dosimetry
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Japan
Mortality
Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced - epidemiology
Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced - etiology
Neutrons
Nuclear Warfare
Radiation Dosage
Radiation dose response relationship
Radiocontamination
Radiotherapy
Time Factors
Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ascertainment of breast cancer incidence among the cohort of the RERF Life Span Study extended sample identified 574 breast cancers among 564 cases diagnosed during 1950-1980 of which 412 cancers were reviewed microscopically. There were no dose-dependent differences with respect to diagnostic certainty or histological type. As in previous studies, the dose response appeared to be roughly linear and did not differ between the two cities. The most remarkable new finding was the emergence of a radiation-related excess among women under 10 years of age at exposure. The risk of radiogenic breast cancer appears to decrease with increasing age at exposure, whether expressed in relative or absolute terms. These results suggest that exposure of female breast tissue to ionizing radiation at any time during the first four decades of life, even during the premature stage, can cause breast cancer later in life, and that the length of time that tumor promoters such as endogenous hormones operate following exposure has an important influence on the development of radiation-induced breast cancer. An unresolved question is whether breast cancer risk is increased by radiation exposure at ages older than 40.
ISSN:0033-7587
1938-5404
DOI:10.2307/3577254