title: Cancer mortality in women after repeated fluoroscopic examinations of the chest.
abstract: Among 1,047 women fluoroscopically examined in average of 102 times during pneumothorax therapy for tuberculosis and followed up to 45 years (average = 27 yr), no increase in the total number of cancer deaths occurred when these women were compared to 717 women who received other treatments [relative risk (RR) = 0.8]. However, elevated risks of mortality from stomach cancer (RR = 2.3), rectal cancer (RR = 3.8), breast cancer (RR = 1.2), lung cancer (RR = 1.8), and leukemia (RR = 1.2) were observed, but none was statistically significant and all were based on very small numbers of deaths. These increases were balanced by decreases of genital cancer (RR = 0.2), pancreatic cancer (RR = 0.9), lymphoma (RR = 0.6), and all other cancers (RR = 0.1). Average cumulative absorbed doses were 110 rads for the lungs, 33 rads for the trunk, 13 rads for the active bone marrow, and 7 rads for the stomach. The following upper levels of excess risk could be excluded with 95% confidence: 3.5 deaths/10(6) woman-year (WY)-rad for lung cancer, 4.8 deaths/10(6) WY-rad for lymphoma, and 12 deaths/10(6) WY-rad for leukemia. These findings indicated that the carcinogenic effect of multiple low-dose X-ray exposures was not greater than that currently assumed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007953:Leukemia, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D011031:Pneumothorax, Artificial; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012306:Risk; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000601:surgery