Table 3: Major thyroid nodules types*, total (internal and external) mean thyroid-absorbed
dose, and time from exposure (1954) to time of surgery, grouped by age.**
Column
A
B
Cc
D
E
Type of
Ratio
Benign
Percent
Total
Thyroid
Years to
Sung
62
4
62
3289+ /-1323.
2490
3289+ /-1323
14+)-4
15
14+]-4
Nodule (n)
Cancer
of (n)
Dose +/-SD
+ /-
Rong <10 yr
(n= 26)
Benign (16)***
Cancer (1)
Adenomatous (16)
nodules
16:1
Rong >10 yr
(n=54)
Benign (5)
Cancer (4)
Adenomatous(4)
nodules
1.25:1
9
7
7
856 + /-649
1415+ /-150
970 + /-689
19+ 9-5
20+ §-9
19+ 9-5
Utirik <10 yr
(n=57)
Benign (7)
Cancer (2)
Adenomatous(3)
nodules
3.5:1
12
4
5
509 + /-137
526
478+ /-178
28+ §-3
26
28+ 9-3
Utirik >10 yr
(n= 102)
Benign (12)
Cancer (3)
Adenomatous (7)
nodules
4.0:1
11
3
7
198+ /-41
168+ /-6
171+/-0
24+ 9-4
22+ §-8
23+ 9-8
* If two thyroid nodules occurred in the sameindividual only the "higher grade” nodule was couated.
** Ten years of age is used as cut-off for the younger group because Rongelap children below this hee received
a mean thyroid-absorbed dose of >2000 cGy and thereby sustained extensive thyroid injury, factor that
influenced nodule type. All others received lower doses. Two in Utero Rongelap children vfho received
’ <2000 cGy are not included in the table.
*** "Benign" nodules include adenomatous nodules, adenomas, and occult papillary carcinomas.
nodules over? Inspection of Fig. 4a shows that
the answerto (1) is in the affirmative, at least for
the Rongelap people. No adenomatous nodule
has been found at surgery for 12 years. The
- detection of adenomatous nodules spanned 15
years beginning 9 years after exposure. For the
Utirik group, detection spanned 12 years,
beginning 19 years after exposure.
For question (2), the answer is less clear.
Although only 1 neoplastic nodule (a carcinoma)
has been diagnosed in the past 10 years in the
Rongelap population, several have been found in
the Utirik group during the same period Fig. 4b).
A striking observation is the virtuallyfidentical
percentof neoplastic lesions that have occupred over
thirty-six years of observation in the twa exposed
groups, being 8 individuals for the 86 Rongelap
persons (9.3%) and 15 individuals for the 957 Utirik
persons (9.0%).
Given the great differences
between the two groupsin total-body and thyroidabsorbed radiation doses, it is clear that [1) other
factors, such as the possibility of thyroid cpll killing
18