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genetic fingerprint of chernobyl
Below is a news article released today. I think there must
be a misprint in that the "Californians" are likely NOT exposed to
radiation. Otherwise the statement regarding identifying the
source of tumor induction doesn't make sense. Can anyone comment
on the effect of using a control group from California?
Mike Baker
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Genetic fingerprint of Chernobyl cancers identified
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 11:53:23 PDT
WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (AFP) - American researchers have identified
the genetic blueprint of thyroid cancers caused by the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor accident, according to a study released Thursday.
According to the study, conducted by James Fagin of the
University of Chicago, more than half (58 percent) of the children
with thyroid cancer resulting from radiation released by Chernobyl
have tumors caused by an alteration in the gene called "ret/PTC3."
In comparision, this alteration was observed in only 18 percent
of a group of Californians exposed to radiation.
This difference could help explain why thyroid cancers observed
in Chernobyl victims are of a rarer and more serious form than
others, Fagin said.
The study could also help researchers determine "whether a tumor
was induced by radiation by looking at a tumor's genetic signature"
without advance knowledge that the patient was exposed to radiation,
he added.
The researchers previously determined that the risk of thyroid
cancer was worse in patients exposed to radiation during childhood.
Among the population of the area surronding Chernobyl, the incidence
of thyroid cancer has increased by more than 100 times since the
1986 accident.
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Michael C. Baker, Ph.D.
Safeguards Science and Technology
Mail Stop E540
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM 87545
Phone: (505) 667-7334
Fax: (505) 665-4433
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