Radiation from CT Scans Said to Cause Cancer
The medical equipment industry has been reeling over two recent studies published by the Archives of Internal Medicine. These studies showed that CT scanners use an unhealthy amount of radiation and can cause cancer in patients who have been overexposed to them.
A common machine in most health care environments, the CT scanner uses numerous x-ray blasts that allow clinicians to see a 3-dimensional image of specific areas of the body. CT stands for computed tomographic imaging, and has been used since 1974 for the diagnosis of many conditions. Thanks to recent advancements in computer technology, CT scanners are much faster and more efficient than ever before, which has led to improved imaging and better diagnostic capabilities. One of the main reasons doctors order a CT scan is because it can show organs and tissues in much greater detail than a typical x-ray.
However, with the recent news about the health risks associated with CT scanners, their future is now uncertain. According to one study, even normal doses of radiation from these machines can be four times higher than they should be. This is unwelcome news for many patients who have already undergone numerous CT scans during the course of treatment. For example, a patient who needs a CT coronary angiogram must submit to an amount of CT radiation that is equal to having 309 chest x-rays.
It is difficult to say how much of an impact CT scanning will have on the general population, since cancer caused by this type of radiation may not appear until 20 to 30 years after a procedure, but with 72 million CT scans being done in an average year, the medical community is understandably concerned.
As a result of this news, medical equipment manufacturers will be looking at ways to reduce the amount of radiation emitted from CT scanners, and are likely to perform regular testing on their existing equipment.