Background: The potential for occupational radiation exposures in the U.S. Space Program makes cancer risk a major health concern.
Methods: The NASA Medical Operations Branch and KRUG Life Sciences Epidemiology Section at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) investigated the rate of cancer mortality among the astronauts and the comparison participants of the Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health (LSAH). Medical records are maintained by the JSC Flight Medicine Clinic, JSC Occupational Medicine Clinic, and LSAH. Cause of death data from death certificates were reviewed for cancer mortality. These data were compared with cancer mortality data for the general population residing in the Texas Gulf Coast area.
Results: The astronauts had a higher age-specific risk of cancer mortality than the comparison group (SMR = 345; 95% CI = 69.5-756.2), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Both the astronauts and the comparison group had lower age-specific rates than the general population (SMR = 47, 95% CI = 9.6-105.1; SMR = 17, 95% CI = 3.5-37.9, respectively).