Prevalence of neoplastic thyroid disorders in territories close to Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, East Kazakhstan: a cross-sectional study

Background Thyroid tumors are the most common endocrine tumors. Thyroid gland is one of the most sensitive organs to carcinogenic effects of ionizing radiation. Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) was used by the Soviet military during more than 40 years resulting in substantial pollution of the large territory. The data on health status of the population living close to SNTS is very scarce. Our previous studies have presented the data on thyroid …