title: Thyroid cancer following nuclear tests in French Polynesia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Between 1966 and 1974, France conducted 41 atmospheric nuclear tests in Polynesia, but their potential health effects have not previously been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case-control study, we compared the radiation exposure of almost all the French Polynesians diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 1981 and 2003 (n=229) to the exposure of 373 French Polynesian control individuals without cancer from the general population. Radiation exposures were estimated using measurements after the nuclear tests, age at time of each test, residential and dietary information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average thyroid dose before 15 years of age was about 1.8 mGy, and 5% of the cases and 3% of the controls received a dose above 10 mGy. Despite this low level of dose, and after adjusting for ethnic group, level of education, body surface area, family history of thyroid cancer and number of pregnancies for women, we observed an increasing risk (P=0.04) of thyroid cancer with increasing thyroid dose received before age of 15 years, which remained after excluding non-aggressive differentiated thyroid micro-carcinomas. This increase of risk per unit of thyroid radiation dose was higher (P=0.03) in women who later experienced four or more pregnancies than among other women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk estimate is low, but is based on limited exposure data. The release of information on exposure, currently classified, would greatly improve the reliability of the risk estimation.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Epidemiology Group, U1018 INSERM, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 rue Camille Desmoulins, Inserm, Villejuif F-94800, France. florent.devathaire@igr.fr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Vathaire
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drozdovitch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brindel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rachedi
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Boissin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sebbag
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bost-Bezeaud
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petitdidier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paoaafaite
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teuri
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iltis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouville
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cardis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doyon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D010298:Parity; D011114:Polynesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012306:Risk; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011847:Radioactive Fallout
references.citation: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Dec;91(12):4798-804
references.pmid: 17018661
references.citation: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Mar;86(3):1072-7
references.pmid: 11238488
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2003 Sep 10;106(4):580-587
references.pmid: 12845656
references.citation: Thyroid. 2010 Apr;20(4):393-400
references.pmid: 20373983
references.citation: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1990 Aug;71(2):276-87
references.pmid: 2116437
references.citation: Health Phys. 2008 May;94(5):418-33
references.pmid: 18403963
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2006 Aug;166(2):367-74
references.pmid: 16881738
references.citation: Int J Epidemiol. 1999 Aug;28(4):742-9
references.pmid: 10480705
references.citation: JAMA. 2004 Dec 1;292(21):2600-13
references.pmid: 15572718
references.citation: Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Jul;20(5):581-90
references.pmid: 19043789
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2008 Apr;169(4):373-83
references.pmid: 18363427
references.citation: IARC Sci Publ. 1987;(82):1-406
references.pmid: 3329634
references.citation: Radiat Res. 1995 Mar;141(3):259-77
references.pmid: 7871153
references.citation: Cancer Causes Control. 2000 Jan;11(1):59-63
references.pmid: 10680730
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 May 18;97(10):724-32
references.pmid: 15900042
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2006 Aug;166(2):375-86
references.pmid: 16881739
references.citation: Pediatr Endocrinol Rev. 2003 Dec;1 Suppl 2:170-6; discussion 176
references.pmid: 16444155
references.citation: J Epidemiol. 2003 Mar;13(2):99-107
references.pmid: 12675119
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2006 Nov;166(5):715-22
references.pmid: 17067203
references.citation: JAMA. 2006 Mar 1;295(9):1060-2
references.pmid: 16507808
references.citation: J Radiat Res. 2006 Feb;47 Suppl A:A1-13
references.pmid: 16571923
references.citation: Health Phys. 2007 Nov;93(5):502-11
references.pmid: 18049226
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Jul 5;98(13):897-903
references.pmid: 16818853
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Jan 15;167(2):219-29
references.pmid: 17965111
references.citation: Epidemiology. 2006 Nov;17(6):604-14
references.pmid: 17028502
references.citation: Health Phys. 1996 Oct;71(4):532-44
references.pmid: 8830754
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2010 May;173(5):659-64
references.pmid: 20426666
references.citation: Health Phys. 1997 Jul;73(1):66-85
references.pmid: 9199219
references.citation: Radiat Res. 2006 Jan;165(1):1-8
references.pmid: 16392956
references.citation: Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1982;62:73-8
references.pmid: 7167197