Malignant diseases of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues in Chernobyl clean-up workers.
BACKGROUND
The question as to whether the incidence of leukemias and malignant lymphomas among the clean-up workers increased in 18 years after the catastrophe is still a point of much controversy. Precise diagnosis of the main forms of hematopoietic malignancies and comparison of these data with those in the general population will be helpful in estimating thr relative contribution of the radiation factor to the overall incidence of such pathologies.


METHODS
In all, 187 consecutive cases of malignant diseases of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues in Chernobyl clean-up workers were analyzed in Ukrainian Reference Laboratory in 1996-2003. A total of 1942 consecutive patients of general population, mainly the residents of Kyiv city and district, diagnosed in References Laboratory at the same period comprised the group of comparison. The morphology and cytochemistry of bone marrow and peripheral blood cells were studied. Immunocytochemical techniques (PAP, APAAP, ABC) and the panel of monoclonal antibodies to differentiation antigens of leukocytes were employed for immunophenotyping leukemic cells.


RESULTS
Various types of malignant disease of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues were registered in Chernobyl clean-up workers under study including myelodysplastic syndromes (nine patients), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (eight) and acute myeloblastic leukemia (31), chromic myeloid leukemia (17), multiple myeloma (17) and other forms of chromic myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative disease including B-cell chromic lymphocytic leukemia (49 patients).


CONCLUSIONS
The verified diagnosis of tumors of hematopoietic malignancies according to modern classification (EGIL, WHO) could be the prerequisite for further analytical epidemiology study of leukemias that may be related to the Chernobyl accident.
Gluzman
Daniel
D
RE Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. vals@onconet.kiev.ua
Imamura
Nobutaka
N
Sklyarenko
Lylia
L
Nadgornaya
Valentina
V
Zavelevich
Michael
M
Machilo
Vasily
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007953:Leukemia, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology