抄録
An X-ray contrast medium, Thorotrast, composed of Th-232, developed liver cancers including cholangiocarcinoma, angiosarcoma after intravascular injections. Also, alpha-particle induced liver cancers were observed in workers engaged in nuclear weapon production at Mayak establishment in Russia. We compared pathology of the liver tumors, particularly angiosarcoma, between Thorotrast patients and Mayak workers. Numbers, mean ages, gender (F:M), mean latency, liver dose (or activity) and external irradiation of angiosarcoma cases (Thorotrast/Mayak) were 56/10, 57.4/62.4yr, 7:49/8:2, 62.4/57.4yr, 8.26Gy/273nCi, 0/2.57Gy, respectively. Histological features were (1) no remarkable difference in histology between the two; (2) relevant lesions such as dysplasia and foamy Kupffer cell aggregation were seen surrounding main tumors in both; (3) Thorotrast granules and liver cirrhosis were found only in Thorotrast cases. These three characters are explained by different routes and size of alpha-emitters. We conclude angiosarcoma is an index tumor of alpha-particle irradiation to liver. [J Radiat Res 44:420 (2003)]
