Genomics of Chernobyl Cancers Revealed

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Ukraine exposed millions of people in the region to ionizing radiation, leading to an increased rate of papillary thyroid cancer. Researchers have taken an in-depth look at the molecular profile of these cancers—revealing, among other things, the presence of DNA double-strand breaks that correlate with greater and earlier exposure to radiation.