Tumors of the brain and nervous system after radiotherapy in childhood

Journal Article · Thu Oct 20 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · N.Engl. J. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198810203191601· OSTI ID:6797148

Ron, E; Modan, B; Boice, Jr, J D; Alfandary, E; Stovall, M; Chetrit, A; Katz, L

We investigated the relation between radiotherapy in childhood for tinea capitis and the later development of tumors of the brain and nervous system among 10,834 patients treated between 1948 and 1960 in Israel. Benign and malignant tumors were identified from the pathology records of all Israeli hospitals and from Israeli national cancer and death registries. Doses of radiation to the neural tissue were retrospectively estimated for each patient (mean, 1.5 Gy). Sixty neural tumors developed in the patients exposed as children, and the 30-year cumulative risk (+/- SE) was 0.8 +/- 0.2 percent. The incidence of tumors was 1.8 per 10,000 persons per year. The estimated relative risk as compared with that for 10,834 matched general-population controls and 5392 siblings who had not been irradiated was 6.9 (95 percent confidence interval, 4.1 to 11.6) for all tumors and 8.4 (confidence interval, 4.8 to 14.8) when the analysis was restricted to neural tumors of the head and neck. Increased risks were apparent for meningiomas (relative risk, 9.5; n = 19), gliomas (relative risk, 2.6; n = 7), nerve-sheath tumors (relative risk, 18.8; n = 25), and other neural tumors (relative risk, 3.4; n = 9). A strong dose--response relation was found, with the relative risk approaching 20 after estimated doses of approximately 2.5 Gy. Our study confirms that radiation doses on the order of 1 to 2 Gy can significantly increase the risk of neural tumors.

• Research Organization: Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer (Israel)
• OSTI ID: 6797148
• Journal Information: N.Engl. J. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: N.Engl. J. Med.; (United States) Vol. 319:16; ISSN NEJMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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560151* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ASIA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DELAYED RADIATION EFFECTS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISEASES
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ISRAEL
MEDICINE
MIDDLE EAST
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATIENTS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
THERAPY