Radiation-Related Genomic Profile of Papillary Thyroid Cancer after the Chernobyl Accident

The April 26, 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine resulted in the release of radioactive contaminants, which were deposited in the surrounding areas in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The main radiation-related health effect resulting from these exposures is the increased occurrence of thyroid cancer among individuals who were children at the time of the accident or born shortly thereafter. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive genomic landscape analysis of papillary thyroid tumors arising in individuals who were exposed as children to radioactive iodine (I-131) from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.]]>
In utero or < 19 years of age on April 26, 1986 (cases) or born > 9 months after the accident (comparison population of unexposed individuals) Residence in one of the most contaminated territories (oblasts or states) of Ukraine, specifically, Zhytomyr, Kiev (Kyiv in Ukrainian), or Chernigov (Chernihiv in Ukrainian) Histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of a first primary papillary thyroid cancer based on review of tumor tissue by an international panel of experts and medical record data documenting no prior cancer history Availability of I-131 dose estimates for cases Availability of fresh frozen thyroid tissue with sufficient, high quality nucleic acids Availability of non-tumor thyroid tissue and/or a blood sample (collected years later) ]]>