Mortality from cancer and all causes among British radiologists

Abstract

The mortality of men who joined a British [UK] radiological society between 1897 and 1954 was compared with that of all men in England and Wales, men in social class 1 and male medical practitioners. Radiologists who entered the profession before 1921 suffered a death rate from cancer 75% higher than that of medical practitioners. Among these men there was a statistically significant excess of deaths from cancers of the pancreas (6 vs. 1.9 expected), lung (8 vs. 3.7) and skin (6 vs. 0.8) and from leukemia (4 vs. 0.7). There were 72 deaths from cancer among men who entered the study after 1920 and 68.6 deaths were expected, based upon rates among medical practitioners. For no individual cancer site did the observed number of deaths exceed the expected number. There was some evidence that the ratio of observed to expected cancer increased with the duration of time that men were included in the study. Among those followed for more than 30 yr there were 30 deaths vs. 22.1 expected. It is not possible to make a close estimate of the dose of radiation received by the men in this study, but those who entered between 1920 and 1945 could have received an accumulated whole-body dose of the order of 1-5 Gy [gray] (100-500 rad). For all non-cancer causes of death combined, the death rate among radiologists is lower than that among all men in England and Wales, men in social class 1 and male medical practitioners. The concept of a non-specific aging effect of radiation was not supported.