Leukemia following radiotherapy for uterine bleeding

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Radiation Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3577593· OSTI ID:7043199

Inskip, P D; Monson, R R; Wagoner, J K; Stovall, M; Davis, F G; Kleinerman, R A; Boice, Jr, J D ^[1]

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1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (USA)

Mortality due to leukemia among 4483 women treated with radiation to control uterine bleeding between 1925 and 1965 was twice as high as expected based on U.S. population rates (standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4 to 2.8). Women were followed for an average of 26.4 years. Relative risk was highest 2 to 5 years after treatment (SMR = 8.1) and among women over 55 years at irradiation (SMR = 5.8). The usual method of treatment was intrauterine radium. Average radiation dose to active bone marrow was estimated on the basis of original radiotherapy records (median, 53 cGy). A linear dose-response model provided an adequate fit to the data. The average excess relative risk was 1.9% per cGy (95% CI: 0.8 to 3.2), and the average absolute risk was 2.6 excess leukemia deaths per million women per year per cGy (95% CI: 0.9 to 4.8). Chronic myeloid leukemia predominated during the first 15 years following exposure, whereas acute leukemias and chronic lymphatic leukemia were most common thereafter. The radiation doses experienced during treatment of benign gynecologic disease appear to result in greater leukemia risk per cGy average marrow dose than the considerably higher doses used to treat malignant disease, perhaps because of a decreased likelihood of killing potentially leukemic cells.

• OSTI ID: 7043199
• Journal Information: Radiation Research; (USA), Vol. 122:2; ISSN 0033-7587
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
LEUKEMIA
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
UTERUS
HEMORRHAGE
AGE DEPENDENCE
DELAYED RADIATION EFFECTS
MORTALITY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIUM
RISK ASSESSMENT
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
DISEASES
DOSES
ELEMENTS
FEMALE GENITALS
HEMIC DISEASES
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
MEDICINE
METALS
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOLOGY
SYMPTOMS
THERAPY
560151* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man