gms | German Medical Science

Objective: Since the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, high incidences of leukemia, thyroid cancer and other tumors have been reported as atomic bomb-induced tumors. We investigated the incidence of meningioma among survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. We identified 68 patients,who were surgically treated for meningioma and who had been within 2.0 km from the center of the explosion. Six hundred and seven non-exposed patients with meningioma were also studied. Treatment duration was from 1975 to 1992. The incidences of meningioma among the 68 subjects within 2.0 km and the 607 non-exposed patients were 8.7 and 3.0 cases per one hundred thousand persons per year, respectively. The incidences of meningioma among the survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 5-year intervals since 1975 were 5.3, 7.4, 10.1 and 14.9, respectively. The incidences of meningioma classified by distance from the center to 1.5-2.0 km, 1.0-1.5 km, and less than 1.0 km were 6.3, 7.6, 20.0, respectively. The incidences of meningioma classified by dose to the brain of 0-0.099 Sv, 0.1-0.99 Sv and more than 1.0 Sv were 7.1, 9.2, 18.2, respectively. The incidences of meningioma among the survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb have increased since 1975. There was a significant correlation between the incidences of meningioma and the dose of radiation to the brain. The percentage findings strongly suggest that meningioma is one of the tumors induced by atomic bombing in Hiroshima.