Malignant Lymphoma in Survivors of the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
This report concerns 91 cases of unequivocal malignant lymphoma diagnosed by lymph node biopsy and/or autopsy at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), Hiroshima, Japan during the period 1949 to 1962 inclusive. An increased prevalence of Hodgkin''s disease, lymphosarcoma and multiple myeloma is found in this sample among proximally exposed survivors of the atomic bomb explosion of August 6, 1945. A consideration of the epide-miologic features of the autopsy and surgical case material supports the view that this increase in prevalence is a reflection of the occurrence of lymphoma in the general population of individuals exposed within 1400 m of the hypocenter. The occurrence of reticulum cell sarcoma is apparently decreased in this same group of survivors; the reasons for this seeming paradox are obscure. In addition, evidence is presented to show an apparent shift among proximally exposed persons autopsied at ABCC to death at an earlier age than is found in distally exposed or nonexposed individuals. In the present case material, there appears to be a single peak in the prevalence of lymphoma among survivors of the atomic bomb; however, as would be expected, the average date of initial histologic diagnosis by lymph node biopsy predates the average time of death among the exposed cases at ABCC by 27 months. A comparison between the exposed and nonexposed autopsy populations shows no significant difference in the estimated duration of clinical course and no morphologic difference between the diagnostic categories of lymphoma. Therefore, although the prevalence of lymphoma is increased in persons exposed to ionizing radiation autopsied at ABCC, there is no known method for identifying an individual case as radiation-induced.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: