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 Life
Span Study (LSS)
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The Life Span Study (LSS) is a research program investigating life-long health effects based on epidemiologic (cohort and case-control) studies. Its major objective is to investigate the long-term effects of A-bomb radiation on causes of death and incidence of cancer. About 120,000 subjects selected from residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki identified through the national census in 1950 have been followed since that time, including 94,000 atomic-bomb survivors and 27,000 unexposed individuals.
The LSS participants were initially
interviewed concerning the circumstances of their exposure and have been
subsequently contacted through mail-survey questionnaires, which provide data on
other factors, such as lifestyle, that are relevant to disease occurrence and
death. Based on this cohort, it is possible to conduct studies of the rates of
occurrence of cancer and the causes of death related to radiation and other
factors.
Periodic analyses of the LSS cohort data form the basis of a
series of reports on mortality (death from cancer as well as other causes) and
cancer incidence (rate of occurrence). The cohort is also the basis for more
in-depth studies of individual cancer sites, often conducted through
case-control studies. In such studies, molecular analysis of cancerous tissue
samples from survivors is conducted to further elucidate the mechanisms of
radiation-related cancer and the impact of other factors.
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LSS data are summarized and reported in the scientific literature at regular
intervals. To access a list of LSS reports, select this heading. |
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