title: Prognosis of thyroid nodules in individuals living in the Zhitomir region of Ukraine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  After the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP), the incidence of thyroid cancer increased among children. Recently, a strong relationship between solid thyroid nodules and the incidence of thyroid cancer was shown in atomic bomb survivors. To assess the prognosis of benign thyroid nodules in individuals living in the Zhitomir region of Ukraine, around the CNPP, we conducted a follow-up investigation of screening data from 1991 to 2000 in the Ukraine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants of this study were 160 inhabitants with thyroid nodules (nodule group) and 160 inhabitants without thyroid nodules (normal control group) intially identified by ultrasonography from 1991 to 2000. All participants were aged 0 to 10 years old and lived in the same area at the time of the accident. We performed follow-up screening of participants and assessed thyroid nodules by fine needle aspiration biopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the nodule group participants, the number and size of nodules were significantly increased at the follow-up screening compared with the initial screening. No thyroid nodules were observed among the normal control group participants. The prevalence of thyroid abnormality, especially nodules that could be cancerous (malignant or suspicious by fine needle aspiration biopsy), was 7.5% in the nodule group and 0% in the normal control group (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicated that a thyroid nodule in childhood is a prognostic factor associated with an increase in the number and size of nodules in individuals living in the Zhitomir region of Ukraine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, Medicine and Welfare, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan. naomin@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: Yui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sekitani
authors.forename: Jumpei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kozlovsky
authors.forename: Oleksandr K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Gutevych
authors.forename: Aleksey S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Saiko
authors.forename: Nina V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Nirova
authors.forename: Anjela A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Petrova
authors.forename: Ruslan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rafalskiy
authors.forename: Sergey A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chorny
authors.forename: Valery V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Daniliuk
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anami
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014455:Ukraine; D014463:Ultrasonography