The program's purpose was to help those living around the plant, which processed uranium for America's Cold War nuclear arsenal, detect health problems that could arise from their exposure to radioactive dust in the soil and water.

Doctors now believe the monitoring program has saved as many as 242 lives by uncovering ailments that otherwise would have been missed or caught too late, such as Brandenburg's tumor.

They say countless more lives could be saved in the years to come as researches dig into the massive collection of data, blood samples and other specimens gathered during the study, which ran from 1990 to 2008.

The collection is considered a treasure trove to scientists because the nearly two decades of information can help them study not only the long-term effects of radiation exposure, but also unrelated problems such as high cholesterol, diabetes or genetic links to cancer.

About 50 studies - half of them unrelated to radiation exposure - already are under way.

"It's a fabulous resource," said Susan Pinney, the University of Cincinnati professor who oversees the collection. "We have all this data and it can be used for all kinds of studies. We have years and years of data."

Those who participated in the program take some comfort from the knowledge that the tests they underwent all those years might benefit future generations.

"I'm proud to be part of this," said Lisa Crawford, leader of the residents' group that pushed for the lawsuit and, later, for the medical monitoring. "I really hope it will help some other community."

But some, such as Brandenburg, struggle at times with mixed feelings.

On one hand, they are glad they live close enough to Fernald to have qualified for the medical tests. On the other, they wonder if they would have fallen ill at all if they didn't live so close to the plant.

Researchers don't know the answer to that question yet, but Brandenburg has little doubt. She blames Fernald for her cancer.

She's also certain her cancer never would have been found in time if not for the Fernald monitoring program.

A dramatic impact

Doctors say Brandenburg is not alone.

Based on statistical calculations that measure mortality rates - similar to what life insurance companies use - doctors found that 242 more people than expected were alive in the Fernald monitoring group after 18 years of testing.

Robert Wones, the Cincinnati doctor who ran the program, said that's strong statistical evidence that the program had an impact. And he said individual stories, such as Brandenburg's, show how dramatic that impact can be.

The physicals were given every two years and discovered 560 cancers and 720 other serious ailments, including dangerously high blood pressure, diabetes and lung problems.

Dozens of times, doctors say, patients went directly from the testing site to a hospital following the discovery of medical problems that required immediate treatment.

"When you do as many exams as we did, you come across emergencies," Pinney said.

Brandenburg, a dance instructor, said she benefited not just from the tests, but also from the dedication of the monitoring team.

She was a nurse at the time and considered her diagnosis a death sentence when she got it seven years ago. She resolved not to spend the time she had left enduring chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

She didn't tell her husband and didn't begin treatment for almost five months after she got the call about a suspicious mammogram.

But the nurses on the monitoring team kept after her. They called almost every week and asked, "Have you done this yet?"

Finally, she relented. She underwent a brutal treatment regimen and survived. She said she's now cancer free.

"The people that worked there were good," Brandenburg said of the team. "We had many conversations about it."

Her case is what the lawyers and doctors involved in the Fernald litigation say they had in mind when they made medical monitoring part of the settlement in U.S. District Court.

A separate $15 million settlement involving Fernald workers also included medical monitoring.

"It was the first and best medical monitoring case," said Stan Chesley, the Cincinnati attorney who sued in 1985 on behalf of the residents. "We forged some new territory."

Long-term benefits

From the outset, the monitoring program was different than medical programs that resulted from other lawsuits.

Typically, such programs determine the extent of damage and compensate victims. In this case, since the effects of the radiation were unknown, the two sides agreed to provide free medical exams in the hope they would improve or save lives.

Wones said the program focused on general health because doctors felt they could do little about radiation exposure after it happened.

"We didn't think most of what uranium did to people was treatable or fixable," Wones said. "You can treat cancer, but the harm is irreversible."

So the doctors created a program that would not only find cancer, but also things they could fix, such as high cholesterol and habitual smoking.

Maybe they couldn't solve the exposure problem, but they could extend lives by catching any number of other problems.

They also could create a database of blood samples and, therefore, DNA, that would be a boon for researchers. Scientists have, for example, used the data to test a theory about a gene that makes people susceptible to lung cancer.

Instead of waiting 20 or 30 years to gather the decades of data necessary to prove the theory, researchers turned to the Fernald blood samples. They searched for the gene and then used the medical records to find out if those who had it developed lung cancer.

"You can essentially do a 30-year study in a month," Wones said. "That's tremendous."

Other studies now underway include research related to diabetes, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

That research may one day save lives far from Fernald. But for now, Brandenburg said, she's just grateful it's saved lives close to home, including her own.

"I had breast cancer and it wouldn't have been detected without the mammogram that was part of the testing," she said. "Nobody could feel it. Not me. Not the oncologist.

"I'm thankful they found it."

Additional Facts

The life and times of Fernald