Histologic types of lung cancer among uranium miners

Abstract

A panel of pathologists classified 121 cases of lung cancer from American uranium miners by cell type, and 138 cases of cancer in non-miners. Undifferentiated carcinomas showed a higher incidence with increasing radiation exposure and age and cigarette matched controls. At high radiation exposures, the WHO 2B cell type accounted for more than half the total. An average of 15.9 years elapsed from the beginning of mining to development of cancer. It was longest among the highly exposed men and was shortest among men with small cell, undifferentiated carcinoma who had less than 700 Work Level Months exposure. In all age and cigarette groups, radiation exposure increased the small cell, undifferentiated, but decreased the epidermoid tumors. Age showed an increase in epidermoid carcinoma. Undifferentiated small cell types were slightly increased among the lowest exposure groups. These increases and an excess of these cell types among South African gold miners seem to establish a trend.