4O1Ous
BL 5203
RADIATION LEUKFMOGENESIS: AN ANALYSIS OP THE PROBLEM,*
CUSC9
B. P, Cronkite, M. D,, W. Moloney,M. D, and ¥, P, Bond, M. D., Ph. D.
(Medical Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.)
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Leukemia induction following known exposure to ionizing radiation
was studied in the reports of Japanese irradiated at Hiroshima and Nagasski,
patients irradiated therapeutically for ankylosing spondylitis, children ex-
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posed over the thymic region, prenatal exposure from diagnostic pelvic x-cays,
patients irradiated therapeutically in various clinical conditions, and individuals exposed occupationally to x-radiation,
The results, in conjunc-
tion with animal data, indicate clearly that leukemia is a consequence in a
email percentage of individuals exposed to large doses of radiation delivered
to a sizeable portion of the body.
Only two sets of data, that from Japan
and that from patients irradiated for ankylosing spondylitis, are suitable
for the investigation of possible dose effect relationships,
A plot of the
incidence of leukemia versus dose for the exposed Japanese is shown in
ure 1,
PFig-
The formidable difficulties in dosimetry, particularly in a mixed
gamma-neutron field are discussed.
In Figure 2, the case reporta of leukemia
in a closed ageing population of exposed Japanese as a function of tine
following the bomb detonation is
presented.
The incidence appears to be
falling,
The following conclusions are made: following a single dose exposure of man, the instance of leukemia appeared to be approximateiy linear
with dose at dose levels of perhaps 100 r equivalent or greater,
The
*
Research supported by the U. S, Atomic Coomisaion,
merositery
**
Boston City Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,
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The Medical Research Center
5607 1a |
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Upton, L. L, New York
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