Updated findings on temporal variation in radiation-effects on cancer mortality in an international cohort of nuclear workers (INWORKS)

The International Nuclear Workers Study (INWORKS) contributes knowledge on the dose-response association between predominantly low dose, low dose rate occupational exposures to penetrating forms of ionizing radiation and cause-specific mortality.

By extending follow-up of 309,932 radiation workers from France (1968–2014), the United Kingdom (1955–2012), and the United States (1944–2016) we increased support for analyses of temporal variation in radiation-cancer mortality associations.

Here, we examine whether age at exposure, time since exposure, or attained age separately modify associations between radiation and mortality from all solid cancers, solid cancers excluding lung cancer, lung cancer, and lymphohematopoietic cancers.

Multivariable Poisson regression was used to fit general relative rate models that describe modification of the linear excess relative rate per unit organ absorbed dose.

Given indication of greater risk per unit dose for solid cancer mortality among workers hired in more recent calendar years, sensitivity analyses considering the impact of year of hire on results were performed.

Findings were reasonably compatible with those from previous pooled and country-specific analyses within INWORKS showing temporal patterns of effect measure modification that varied among cancers, with evidence of persistent radiation-associated excess cancer risk decades after exposure, although statistically significant temporal modification of the radiation effect was not observed.

Analyses stratified by hire period (< 1958, 1958+) showed temporal patterns that varied; however, these analyses did not suggest that this was due to differences in distribution of these effect measure modifiers by hire year.