| Isn’t it nice to know that the medical | | | | Granted, scans give doctors and patients |
| profession caused 29,000 future cases of cancer | | | | information not easily attainable any other way. |
| in 2007 from the CT scans it performed on | | | | However, with an obvious financial motivation to |
| patients (a great tool for future business). Think | | | | perform scans the true need for them in many |
| twice before falling for a heart scan add you hear | | | | situations is called into question – especially |
| on the radio, the risk for a woman getting cancer | | | | considering the emerging cancer risk. I reported |
| from it is 1 in 270. These are some of the | | | | two years ago that 20 million of these scans each |
| remarkable numbers coming from two new | | | | year are unnecessary. The cancer risk for |
| studies published Monday in the Archives of | | | | children from CT scans is especially high, so |
| Internal Medicine. | | | | parents beware. |
| Keep in mind that health organizations need to use | | | | In the first new study researchers sought to put |
| their expensive machines to justify having them. | | | | a number to the future cancer risk from these |
| In the U.S. alone over 70 million CT scans are | | | | CT scans – a number which turned out to be |
| performed a year. The dose of radiation varies; | | | | 29,000 cases for the amount of CT scans |
| though on average physicians are using four times | | | | performed in 2007. This procedure is creating an |
| the recommended amount of radiation per scan | | | | astounding number of yearly future cancer |
| (apparently so they can get a better view). | | | | cases. Whatever happened to the idea of first |
| Depending on who is performing the test and | | | | doing no harm? |
| what part of the body is being tested, one CT | | | | In the second study researchers found that |
| scan has the equivalent radiation ranging from 30 | | | | radiation doses varied widely, there was no |
| – 442 chest x-rays, with 1 million of these | | | | standardization of testing in the country, and |
| scans per year at the highest end of this range. | | | | patients were in general being over-exposed to |
| Scans of the abdominal area and pelvis have the | | | | radiation. In others words, doctors are being |
| highest amount of radiation, with brain scans, | | | | reckless and negligent in their use of CT scans |
| chest scans, and heart scans taking second. | | | | while causing all these cases of cancer. |
| Individuals getting more than one scan to follow | | | | It amazes me that the practice of medicine is |
| up on a problem are at particular risk from repeat | | | | getting a free pass in the current health care |
| exposure. | | | | debate. |