Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Malignant breast tumors among Atomic Bomb Survivors, Hirsoshima and Nagasaki, 1950 to 1974

Journal Article · · J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6000398
 [1]; ; ; ; ; ;
  1. Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima, Japan

From 1950 to 1974, 360 cases of malignant breast tumors were identified among the 63,000 females of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation's (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) Extended Life-Span Study sample of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; 288 of these females were residing in one of these two cities at the time of bombing (ATB). Two-thirds of all cases were classified as breast cancers on the basis of microscopic review of slides, and 108 cases received an estimated breast tissue dose of at least 10 rads. The number of cases of radiogenic breast cancer could be well estimated by a linear function of radiation dose for tissue doses below 200 rads. Excess risk estimates, based on this function, for women 10 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 50 years old or older ATB were 7.3, 4.2, 2.6, and 4.7 cases per million women per year per rad, respectively. Women irradiated in their forties showed no dose effect. Among all women who received at least 10 rads, those irradiated before age 20 years will have experienced the highest rates of breast cancer throughout their lifetimes. Separate excess risk estimates for Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not differ significantly, which indicates that for radiogenic breast cancer the effects of neutrons (emitted only in the Hiroshima explosion) and gamma radiation were about equal. Radiation did not reduce the latency period for the development of breast cancer, which was at least 10 years. The distribution of histologic types of cancers did not vary significantly with radiation dose. The data suggested that irradiation prior to menarche conferred a greater risk than irradiation after menarche.

OSTI ID:
6000398
Journal Information:
J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States) Vol. 62:6; ISSN JNCIA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Breast cancer incidence among atomic bomb survivors, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1950--1969. [Neutrons, gamma radiation]
Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977 · J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7285168

Breast cancer risk from low-dose exposures to ionizing radiation: results of parallel analysis of three exposed populations of women
Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980 · J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States) · OSTI ID:6664070

Breast neoplasms in women treated with x-rays for acute postpartum mastitis
Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977 · J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7285163