———

with lymph node metastases. All these new
findings have been incorporated in the summary
of thyroid lesions found throughoutthehistory
of the medical program (Table6). An analysis of
thyroid cancerrisk as it relates to the exposed
Marshallese was recently presented, and asummaryis given in Appendix A.

(Table 5). Five were from the Utirik-exposed
group and one was from the comparison group.
The latter was judged to have an adenomatous
nodule. Of the five Utirik patients, only four had
significant thyroid pathology. Two of the four
had occult papillary carcinomas. This is a neoplastic lesion oflittle clinical significance and is
not considered the equivalent of papillary
thyroid cancer. It is usually an incidental
finding during thyroid surgery, and the prevalence of occult thyroid carcinomas has not
been found to be increased in Japanese atomic
bombing survivors (Wakabayashiet al. 1983).
The other two patients did have papillary
thyroid cancers, one of which was associated

INDIVIDUAL LABORATORY DATA
Asin the last report, a computerizedlisting of
laboratory test results obtained in 1983-84 and
entered by identification numberis presented in
Appendix B.

Table 5
Thyroid Surgery Patients, 1983-1984
Identification
Number

Age at
Diagnosis

Sex

Consensus Diagnosis

2248
944
2149

44
58
38

F
M
F

Occult papillary carcinoma
Adenomatous nodule
No tumor

2167
2171

44
33

M
F

Occult papillary carcinoma
Papillary carcinoma

2152

38

M

Papillary carcinoma

Table 6
Thyroid Lesions Diagnosed at Surgery Through 1984
Adenomatous
Nodules

Adenomas

Papillary
Carcinomas

Follicular
Carcinomas

Oceult
Papillary
Carcinomas
—

Rongelap (67)*

17

2

4

—

Ailingnae (19)*

4

—_

—

—

1

Utirik (167)*

10

2

4

1+

3

Comparison (227)**

4

1

2

—

2tt

|

NOT INCLUDED are the following unoperated (and therefore unconfirmed) nodules: Rongelap -1;
Ailingnae - 1; Utirik - 1; Comparison - 5,
INCLUDED areall consensus diagnosesof a panel of consultant pathologists; two different lesions were
detected in one person each from Rongelap, Ailingnae, and Utirik.
* Number of persons (including those tn utero) who were originally exposed.
** This numberincludesall persons who have been in the comparison group since 1957. Some have not been
seen for many years; others were added as recently as 1979.
+ Equally divided opinion in one case; follicular carcinoma vs atypical adenoma.
tt Majority opinion in one case; occult papillary carcinoma vs follicular carcinoma. The same patient had a
lymphocytic thyroiditis.

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