Spotlight on Scientists

Alina Brenner

Dr. Brenner, an epidemiologist in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch, is the lead author of a recently published manuscript concerning the iodine-131 (I-131) dose-response for incident thyroid cancers in Ukraine related to the Chornobyl accident. Nearly 25 years after the accident at the Chornobyl power plant, the study that appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives found a clear dose-response relationship in which higher absorption of radiation from I-131 led to an increase of thyroid cancer that has not appeared to diminish over time. This study is different from previous Chornobyl studies in that radiation doses from I-131 were based on individual radioactivity measurements and that thyroid cancers were ascertained prospectively using standardized examination methods irrespective of dose to avoid a screening bias, which is a major concern for thyroid cancer studies in exposed populations.

Dr. Brenner's research interests include epidemiology of thyroid and brain cancers, both of which are related to exposure to ionizing radiation. By studying how radiation interacts with age, genetic susceptibility, immune alterations, and other factors, Dr. Brenner hopes to improve our understanding of radiation carcinogenesis of these tumors.

Reference: Brenner AV, Tronko MD, Hatch M, Bogdanova TI, Oliynik VA, Lubin JH, Zablotska LB, Tereschenko VP, McConnell RJ, Zamotaeva GA, O'Kane P, Bouville AC, Chaykovskaya LV, Greenebaum E, Paster IP, Shpak VM, Ron E. I-131 Dose-Response for Incident Thyroid Cancers in Ukraine Related to the Chornobyl Accident. Environ Health Perspect 2011 Mar 14.

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