CHERNOBYL THYROID CANCER: 30 YEARS OF FOLLOW-UP OVERVIEW

A substantial increase of the thyroid cancer incidence has been observed after the Chernobyl accident in the whole of Belarus and Ukraine, and the four most affected oblasts of the Russian Federation among those exposed as children or adolescents. The dominant risk factor was the thyroid exposure by 131I resulting from the ingestion of milk. A minimum latency period for the identification of the thyroid cancer incidence of 4-5 years has been observed. The cancer incidence among males who were 10 years old at the time of the accident was more than a factor of 4 lower than among females. The incidence data in this age group registered during the period 1991-2015 continuously increased with time to approach a number of 20.000 thyroid cancer cases at the end of this period. From a scientific point of view there is an obligation to pursue programs for long-term medical follow up of the most affected populations. The lessons learned during the past 30 years should be used to improve the standards and criteria for emergency preparedness and response.