O-165 Medical Surveillance of Workers Exposed to Radon: Perspectives in Lung Cancer Prevention

Introduction Radon is produced by the radioactive decay of Radium 226 (226Ra), in turn produced by radioactive decay of Uranium 238 (238U), found in ores such as lave, tables, granites and pozzolane. Lung cancer is still a disease with a high mortality rate responsible, worldwide, for about one in five deaths due to cancer. Methods The health surveillance of workers exposed to Radon is aimed at the prevention and early diagnosis of lung cancer, which represents, in Italy, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men (15%) and the third in women (12%). Results At present, however, screening strategies are only offered to populations at high risk of developing the disease, as it is difficult to find a single very sensitive and highly specific biomarker. Discussion This situation implies that only healthy subjects are subjected to CT only after the onset of symptoms, leading thus to often late diagnosis, without a survival benefit. Currently the most promising biomarker is micro-RNA (MSC), associated with LCDT. Conclusion An optimization of these tools in the future and the cost-benefit ratio will open their use in early diagnosis, as well as their use in the health surveillance of those exposed to radon.