Analysis of the incidence of thyroid cancer in the population of the Oryol Region
Authors:   FSBEI HE Oryol State University named after I. S. Turgenev, Simonova Viktoriya Gennadievna 
Published: May 2022

The article presents the results of a study of the oncological morbidity of the population of the Orel region, including thyroid cancer (prostate cancer). After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power Plant (Chernobyl NPP), particularly rapid rates of increase in the incidence of breast cancer were detected among the children (at the time of the accident) population. According to experts dealing with the problem of breast cancer, in addition to direct radiation exposure, a significant contribution could be made due to screening (that is, increased detectability as a result of mass examinations using ultrasound diagnostics), the presence of iodine deficiency in these territories, improper iodine prevention after an accident. The purpose is to analyze the problems of the prevalence of cancer in the country; to study the incidence of thyroid cancer in the population of the country and the Orel region and to present an analysis of the incidence of thyroid cancer in the Orel region in comparison with other regions. The materials of the study were generalized official data of annual medical statistics (Forms No., No. 7, 35), in dynamics from 1981 to 2019. The analysis of the incidence of thyroid cancer in the territories exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident was carried out. As of 2019, the Orel region was on the 16th place out of 85 possible in the incidence of malignant neoplasms (ZNO). The incidence rate was 546.9 cases per 100 thousand population, which is significantly higher than the incidence rate in the Russian Federation. Over a 38-year period (from 1981 to 2019), the incidence of prostate cancer per 100 thousand population of the Orel region increased 6.5 times. Among the regions affected by the Chernobyl accident, the Orel region also occupies a leading position in terms of the incidence of prostate cancer. The increased incidence of adult breast cancer is associated, apparently, with a change in the conditions of dispensary observation. According to the National Register, the doses of thyroid radiation among the children’s population at the time of the Chernobyl disaster in the Bryansk region reach 300–400 mGr, in the Orel region, the doses of thyroid radiation among the children’s population are significantly less and do not exceed 30 mGr. A retrospective radiological and epidemiological analysis showed that about 30 % of thyroid cancer cases in children in the Bryansk region were caused by ¹³¹I irradiation during the Chernobyl accident. In the Orel region, the role of the radiation factor in the dynamics of the incidence of thyroid cancer in children has not been confirmed. Thus, one of the most significant problems in the radiation-contaminated territories, to which the Orel region belongs, is the steady increase in the number of patients with prostate cancer. At the same time, the main contribution to the increase in indicators was made due to screening (for example, an increased probability of detection due to the use of ultrasound diagnostics for large-scale examinations), and, to a lesser extent, due to direct radiation exposure, iodine deficiency and insufficient prevention after an accident.