Dr. Luderer’s lab showed that irradiation of adult female mice with heavy iron ions, typical of deep space radiation exposures during a Mars mission, led to a four-fold increase in epithelial ovarian tumors in late middle age. Most human ovarian cancers are also epithelial. These results raise concerns about ovarian tumors as possible late consequences of deep space travel in female astronauts. The publication will be featured on the NASA THREE (The Health Effects of Extraterrestrial Environments) website (https://three.jsc.nasa.gov/#section=main).

Recent publication: Mishra B, Lawson GW, Ripperdan R, Ortiz L, Luderer U. 2018 Charged Iron Particles Are Potent Inducers of Epithelial Ovarian Tumors. Radiation Research. 190(2): 142-150. doi: 10.1667/RR15028.1