Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025. Vol. 70. № 2

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-2-75-80

S.S. Silkin

Lung Cancer Incidence in the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort

Ural Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Contact person: Stanislav S. Silkin, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

ABSTRACT

Relevance: Malignant neoplasms of the bronchi and lungs are among the most common localizations both among the population of Russia and in the world as a whole. The main reasons are the deterioration of the environmental situation due to the active growth of “dirty” industries, as well as smoking of tobacco and nicotine-containing substances (the cause of 80 % of lung cancer cases).

The article presents the results of evaluation of lung cancer incidence rate in the population exposed to chronic radiation exposure as a result of the activities of the Production Association «Mayak» (the discharge of liquid radioactive waste into the Techa River in the early 1950s and the explosion in the storage facility in September 1957, which resulted in the formation of the East Urals Radioactive Trace).

Purpose: Analysis the incidence rates of lung cancer in the population included in the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation cohort over a 65-year follow-up period (between 1956 and 2020). 

Material and methods: The study was conducted by cohort method. The cohort under study is the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation. The cohort includes individuals exposed as a result of two radiation accidents in the Southern Urals in the mid-20th century. The size of the analytical cohort was 47,234 people. During the 65-year follow-up period, 852 cases of lung cancer were recorded in the cohort in the catchment area, with 1.3 million person-years at risk.

Results: Among members of the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation cohort, an increase in lung cancer incidence rates was detected over time, as well as with increasing attained age and age at the onset of exposure. The incidence rate in men in the cohort was significantly higher than in women. A significantly higher incidence of lung cancer was noted in the Russian ethnic group relative to the Tatar and Bashkir ones. Smoking was shown to significantly increase the risk of lung cancer in the cohort.

Conclusion: Analysis of lung cancer incidence rates was carried out for the first time in this cohort. The findings will be used in future radiogenic risk analysis studies.

Keywords: Lung cancer, Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort, SUPER, incidence rates, exposed population, chronic exposure, the Techa River, East Urals Radioactive Trace, EURT

For citation: Silkin SS. Lung Cancer Incidence in the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025;70(2):75–80. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-2-75-80

 

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Conflict of interest. The author declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The work was carried out with the financial support of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia as part of the implementation of a state order on the topic ‟Risks of developing organ-specific neoplasms during chronic exposure in the Ural cohort of the emergency-exposed population”.

Contribution. S.S. Silkin – review of literary sources, analysis of morbidity rates, writing the text of the manuscript.

Article received: 20.12.2024. Accepted for publication: 25.01.2025.