Dr. Robbins participates in the NCI project studying the thyroid effects of the nuclear power reactor accident in Chernobyl. The case-control study on children in Belarus who developed thyroid cancer has been published in Radiation Research, and demonstrated a clear relationship between the estimated thyroid radiation dose from I-131 and the cancers. The prospective study of cohorts of children in Belarus and Ukraine is now proceeding in both countries and screening is under way in Minsk and in Kiev. Reconstruction of the thyroid radiation dose is proceeding in parallel. The end points include thyroid neoplasia, both benign and malignant, thyroid autoimmune disease, and hyperparathyroidism. Dr. Robbins? participation in the NIH arm of the interinstitutional Phase III evaluation of the use of Thyrogen (recombinant human TSH) in the management of patients with thyroid cancer has been completed. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Thyrogen for the diagnosis of functioning thyroid cancer by radioiodine scanning and serum thyroglobulin assay. Further studies are required to evaluate its use in radioiodine therapy.
