Epidemiology of childhood cancer in Belarus: review of data 1978-1994, and discussion of the new Belarusian Childhood Cancer Registry.

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 had a major ecological impact, with the bulk of the radioactive contamination affecting Belarus, the Ukraine and Russian Federation. Belarus has a nationwide general cancer registry that dates back to 1965, which allows a comparison of cancer incidence rates from before and after the accident. Preliminary analysis indicates that there has been an increased incidence of all cancers, with thyroid cancer accounting for most of that change.