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Thyroid Cancer Screening Program for Young People in Fukushima After the Nuclear Plant Accident

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Thyroid FNA Cytology

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, caused the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, which is regarded as a level 7, major accident, on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. There was a great concern among the general public in Japan about the various health impacts of this compound nuclear disaster, including rapid changes in the overall lifestyle and dispersion of radioactive material [1]. In particular, radiation-induced thyroid cancers are one of the greatest concerns among local residents after the disaster. To address the health risks, it is necessary to communicate health-related information and establish a system to support residents through health surveillance [2, 3] (see Chap. 12). Although the radiation exposure level in Fukushima has been reported to be much lower than that in Chernobyl [4], conducting surveys is required for both scientific and social demand [5]. Thyroid ultrasound examinations have been conducted as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) commissioned by Fukushima Prefecture [6, 7]. Along with the advances of ultrasonic imaging diagnostic technology, overdiagnosis has become a global issue in recent decades [8, 9]. Therefore, careful attention must be paid when interpreting screening results [10, 11].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Akira Ohtsuru & Sanae Midorikawa

  2. Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Akira Ohtsuru, Sanae Midorikawa, Satoru Suzuki, Hiroki Shimura, Takashi Matsuzuka & Shunichi Yamashita

  3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Hiroki Shimura

  4. Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Takashi Matsuzuka

  5. Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan

    Shunichi Yamashita

Authors
  1. Akira Ohtsuru
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  2. Sanae Midorikawa
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  3. Satoru Suzuki
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  4. Hiroki Shimura
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  5. Takashi Matsuzuka
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  6. Shunichi Yamashita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akira Ohtsuru .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Nara Hospital, Kindai University, Ikoma, Japan

    Kennichi Kakudo

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Ohtsuru, A., Midorikawa, S., Suzuki, S., Shimura, H., Matsuzuka, T., Yamashita, S. (2019). Thyroid Cancer Screening Program for Young People in Fukushima After the Nuclear Plant Accident. In: Kakudo, K. (eds) Thyroid FNA Cytology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1897-9_68

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1897-9_68

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-1896-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-1897-9

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