The U.S. Radiologic Technologists Cohort Study is a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) of the National Cancer Institute, and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). The study was initiated in 1982 as a cohort study of cancer incidence and mortality among 146,022 U. S. radiologic technologists.

The primary objective of the study is to quantify the cancer risks of low-to-moderate-dose, chronic fractionated occupational radiation exposures. This is important because workers and the general population are exposed to repeated low-dose radiation; and there is a lack of quantitative information on cancer risks from these kinds of exposures. Three mailed surveys of the population have been completed in the mid 1980s, (N=90972) late 1990s (N=90,305) and in 2004-2005 (N=73,890). The questionnaires ascertained self-reported cancer, other selected health conditions, work history, personal exposure to ionizing radiation, some dietary history, medical history, and reproductive history. Medical records are requested to validate reported cancers with an intense focus on breast cancer, thyroid cancer, leukemias, and melanoma. Regular mortality follow-ups are conducted to ascertain cause of death.

Biological Samples

Participants reporting breast, thyroid, and a few other cancers and a sample of controls have been recruited to donate blood samples. All study participants who worked prior to 1950, when exposures were much higher, were recruited to donate a blood sample. Plans are in the works to collect biological samples from a large sample of the entire cohort.

Contact Information

Bruce H Alexander, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Division of Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
balex@umn.edu
612-625-7934

Also see: http://www.radtechstudy.org

Selected References

Sigurdson AJ, Doody, MM, Rao RR, Freedman DM, Alexander BH, Hauptmann M, Mohan AK, Yoshinaga S, Hill DA, Tarone R, Mabuchi K, Ron E, Linet MS. Cancer Incidence in the U. S. Radiologic Technologists Health Study, 1983–1998. Cancer 2003; 97:3080-9.

Sigurdson AJ, Hauptmann M, Alexander BH, Doody MM, Thomas CB, Struewing JP, Jones IM. DNA damage among thyroid cancer and multiple cancer cases, controls, and long-lived individuals. Mutation Research 2005;586(2):173-88.

Doody, MM, , Freedman DM, Alexander BH, Hauptmann M, Hill DA, Tarone R, Rao RR, Mabuchi K, Ron E, Sigurdson AJ Linet MS. Breast Cancer Incidence in U.S. Radiologic Technologists. Cancer 2006 (In Press) Early View at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/112598392/HTMLSTART

Zabel EW, Alexander BH, Mongin SJ, Doody, MM, Sigurdson AJ, Linet MS, Freedman DM, Hauptmann M, Mabuchi K, Ron E. Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Employment as a Radiologic Technologist. International Journal of Cancer 2006 (In Press)