Unilateral multiple primary tumours in an atomic-bomb survivor.

We report here a case of an atomic-bomb survivor with sequential, unilateral, multiple-organ primary tumours after exposure to direct external radiation. This 67-year-old woman was 8 years old when she was exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb. At the time of the explosion, she was in an open area, but hiding behind a tree, which shielded her left side. Therefore, the right side of her body was exposed to radiation directly and primarily. Since then, she has been diagnosed sequentially with breast cancer, ovarian tumour, thyroid tumour, head skin cancer and lung cancer. In each case, the tumour was on the right side of her body at the ages of 31, 38, 54, 58 and 64 years old, respectively. This case study indicates that the risk of multiple primary tumours should be considered in older atomic-bomb survivors.