Every physician orders CT and CAT scans to images a patient to get internal images of the body and diagnose a medical condition. The question always asked “ Are these CT scans safe” A recent study from the Univcersity of California San Francisco found that CT scans could be responsible for 5 % of all cancer diagnoses each year
Research estimates show that the ionizing radiation exposure from CT scans is comparable to other significant risk factors such as alcohol consumption and excess body weight
Looking at a review the researches have estimated that approximately 103,000 future cancers will be cause by CT scans performed in 2023 ( therefore more in 2024 and 2025) The highest numbers affected are adults ages 50-69
The most common cancer types according to the study were colon cancer, leukemia and breast cancer This strudy publihsed in JAMA in April was funded by the National Institute of Health. If CT scans continue to be ordered and rise, we will have more cancers. The question ius are all CT scans justified ? We should avoid unnecessary scans to avoid potential harms and cancers
Until tomnorrow…