Takahashi T, Simon S L, Trott K R, Fujimori K, Nakashima N, Arisawa K, Schoemaker M J
Department of Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Tohoku J Exp Med. 1999 Apr;187(4):363-75. doi: 10.1620/tjem.187.363.
The objective of this report is to present a summary of progress of the Marshall Islands Nationwide Thyroid Study. As well known, the US atomic weapons testing program in the Pacific was conducted primarily between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands. The nuclear tests resulted in radioactive contamination of a number of atolls and resulted in exposure of Marshallese to undefined levels before our study. Little information has been paid to health consequences among residents of the nearly twenty inhibited atolls except for some information about nodular thyroid disease which was reported on by an US group. In a cooperative agreement with the Government of the Marshall Islands, between 1993 and 1997 we studied the prevalence of both thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer among 4766 Marshallese potentially exposed to radioiodines from bomb test fallout. That group represents more than 65% of the population at risk. We diagnosed 45 thyroid cancers and 1398 benign thyroid nodules. In addition, 23 study participants had been operated on prior to our study for thyroid cancer. Presently, we are developing a database of information to estimate radiation doses and planning a statistical analysis to determine if a dose-response relationship exists. These data will be important for the health promotion of exposed people all over the world including Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Semipalatinsk, Chernobyl and other locations. A timely completion is important for purpose of assisting Marshallese as well as to add the global understanding of radiation induced thyroid cancer.
本报告的目的是总结马绍尔群岛全国甲状腺研究的进展情况。众所周知，美国在太平洋地区的核武器试验项目主要于1946年至1958年期间在马绍尔群岛进行。核试验导致多个环礁受到放射性污染，并使马绍尔人在我们的研究之前暴露于不明剂量的辐射中。除了美国一个小组报告的一些关于结节性甲状腺疾病的信息外，几乎没有关于近20个有人居住环礁居民健康后果的信息。在与马绍尔群岛政府的合作协议下，1993年至1997年期间，我们研究了4766名可能因核弹试验沉降物而接触放射性碘的马绍尔人中甲状腺结节和甲状腺癌的患病率。该群体占高危人群的65%以上。我们诊断出45例甲状腺癌和1398例良性甲状腺结节。此外，23名研究参与者在我们的研究之前已因甲状腺癌接受了手术。目前，我们正在建立一个信息数据库以估计辐射剂量，并计划进行统计分析以确定是否存在剂量反应关系。这些数据对于包括广岛、长崎、塞米巴拉金斯克、切尔诺贝利和其他地区在内的全世界受辐射人群的健康促进将具有重要意义。及时完成这项工作对于帮助马绍尔人以及增进全球对辐射诱发甲状腺癌的了解都很重要。
