Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 3

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-3-88-97

G.V. Zhuntova

Malignancies of Digestive Organs and Occupational Exposure

Southern Urals Federal Research and Clinical Center for Medical Biophysics of the FMBA, Ozyorsk, Chelyabinsk region, Russia

Contact person: Galina Vadimovna Zhuntova, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

ABSTRACT 

Current review analyzes findings of epidemiological studies evaluating the carcinogenic risks associated with occupational radiation exposure, with a specific focus on malignant neoplasms (MN) of the digestive organs among workers in various sectors. A systematic literature search was conducted utilizing the eLIBRARY and PubMed databases and concluded in July 2025. The review provides a synopsis of the professional cohorts included in the analyses. It addresses the issues of exposure dose estimation, confounding by non-radiation factors, and study design, while also delineating the strengths and limitations inherent in these studies that may influence the interpretation of results.

Analyses of multiple cohorts‒including nuclear industry workers from foreign countries, uranium miners, medical personnel involved in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology, and aircrews exposed to cosmic radiation—did not yield conclusive evidence for a causal relationship between prolonged, occupational low doses radiation exposure and an elevated risk of digestive organs cancers. In contrast, a cohort of workers from the Mayak Production Association (Mayak PA), the first Russian nuclear facility, employed between 1948 and 1982, demonstrated a significantly elevated risk of esophagus and stomach cancer incidence and mortality associated with external gamma-exposure. Furthermore, an increased risk of liver cancers, specifically angiosarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, was attributed to internal alpha-particle exposure from incorporated plutonium. Doses received by early Mayak PA workers were substantially higher than those documented in the other occupational cohorts reviewed. 

Common limitations across these studies include potential inaccuracies in dose estimates, use of cause-of-death data from death certificates, lack of data on cancer incidence and confounding non-radiation risk factors, and the potential for bias from the “healthy worker effect”. Despite the absence of direct evidence for significant detrimental health effects of low-dose radiation exposure, ongoing epidemiological follow up of occupationally exposed populations continues internationally. Special attention is paid to the influence of non-radiation factors. 

Keywords:  occupational exposure, digestive organs malignancies, radiogenic risk 

For citation:  Zhuntova GV. Malignancies of Digestive Organs and Occupational Exposure. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(3):88–97.  DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-3-88-97

 

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

Financing. The study had no sponsorship.

Contribution. The article was prepared by one author.

Article received: 20.02.2026. Accepted for publication: 25.03.2026.