Children with thyroid cancer due to the nuclear accident:10 percent or 8 people had cancer recurrence and operations performed

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

原発事故 甲状腺がんの子ども 約1割の8人再発し再手術

3月1日 4時18分

東京電力福島第一原発の事故のあと甲状腺がんと診断された子どもの支援を行っている民間の基金が、子どもたちの手術後の経過を調べたところ、およそ１割に当たる８人ががんを再発して再手術を受けていたことがわかりました。

民間の基金、「３・１１甲状腺がん子ども基金」は、原発事故後に甲状腺がんやがんの疑いと診断された２５歳以下の子どもたちに１人当たり１０万円の療養費の支援を行っていて、１月末までに１１４人に支給しています。

このうち事故当時福島県内に住んでいた８４人について基金が術後の状況を調べたところ９．５％に当たる８人ががんを再発して甲状腺を摘出するなどの再手術を受けていたことがわかりました。

８人は、事故当時６歳から１５歳で最初に手術を受けた時期から最も早い人で１年後にがんを再発していたということです。

福島県が行っている甲状腺検査では、これまでにがんやがんの疑いと診断された人は１９４人に上り、再発するケースが出ていることはわかっています。

しかし県の検討委員会でも詳しいデータは明らかになっておらず、基金では国や県はがんの再発のケースを詳しく検証してほしいと話しています。

基金は、事故から７年を前に３日医師による無料の電話相談を行う予定で、電話番号は、０１２０－９６６－５４４です。

My translation

A private fund which provided support in monitoring the children who were diagnosed to have thyroid cancer after the accident in Tokyo Electric Power Daiichi Fukushima nuclear power plant examined the progress of children who had received surgery, it was found out that  8 people or approximately 10 percent had cancer recurrence and received operation again.

The "3. 11 Thyroid Cancer Children Fund" was supporting  medical expenses of 100,000 yen to each child under the age of 25 who had been diagnosed to be likely to suffer from thyroid cancer or some other cancer after the nuclear accident; it provided  private fund to 114 people up to the end of January.

Related to this Fund, 84 people who were living in Fukushima-ken during the accident were monitored after the operations, among them 8 people or 9.5%  were found to have received operations to remove the thyroid etc. due to the recurrence of the thyroid cancer.

It was said that these eight people who had received operations were aged from 6 to 15 during the accident, the earliest person to have cancer recurrence was one year after the operation.

Through a thyroid check done in Fukushima-ken, the people diagnosed as to have suspected cancer or confirmed cancer so far reached 194 people, and the cases on recurrence were noted.

But even in the exploratory committee of the prefecture detailed data were not made clear. It was said that the Fund wanted to inspect cases of cancer recurrence in the country and the prefecture.

As it was reaching 7 years after the incident, the Fund was planning to do a free telephone consultation by doctors for 3 days, and the telephone number was 0120-966-544.

     I hope the cancer victims would be carefully looked after.