The radiation from the axial tomographs may increase the risk of developing various forms cancerincluding breast and lungs, scientists from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) said.
Using special risk analysis models, scientists calculated that 5% of all cancer cases recorded annually were due to CT scans. The main causes of this are the abuse of these examinations and the use of high doses of ionizing radiation during them.
The risk is greater for infants and infants. Here are children and teenagers. However, adults are also in danger, because they are the ones who become more axial.
Researchers point out that the percentages they found are three to four times higher than it was calculated so far.
The research was funded by the US Federal National Health Institutions (NIH). Her findings were published in the Jama Internal Medicine medical journal.
“CT scans save lives, but we often overlook their potential risks,” said lead researcher Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, Radiologist, Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatism in UCSF. “If applicable practices do not change, in the future it is very likely that we will see many cancers because of them.”
Dr. Smith-Bindman pointed out that the new findings highlight computed tomography as an equally important risk factor for alcohol and excess body weight. “The reduction of the conducting computed tomography and the radiation doses used can save lives,” he said.
Necessary, but…
Computed tomography is a necessary and widely used medical examination. It can detect tumors and diagnose many diseases by saving countless lives. However, it is based on ionizing radiation, which is known carcinogenic. That is why it is known to have a risk of cancer.
To calculate exactly how much this risk is, Dr. Smith-Bindman and her colleagues examined the number and type of computed tomography conducted in the US in 2023. They also examined patients’ medical files, recording how many died within one year of the axial. Those who ended up were excluded from the analysis because the axial was unlikely that it had caused cancer.
A total of 61.5 million patients were included in the end. They had undergone 93 million computed tomography. By gender and age it was:
2.57 million children (4.2% of patients)
58.9 million adults (95.8%)
32.6 million women (53% of patients)
28.91 million but (47%)
The age group that did the most computed tomographs were adults 60 to 69 years.
The forecasts
The researchers used special mathematical models to calculate how many patients were likely to develop cancer, based on their exposure to examinations.
The models have shown that almost 103,000 cancers will result from the 2023 computed tomography. They account for 5% of the annual outbreaks of the disease in the US.
The risk of cancer is higher in infants who have been axial and then in children and adolescents. However, because the adults who made computed tomographs were multiple times, the largest number of cancers are estimated to occur in them (93,000 cases of 103,000).
The most common malignant tumors projected to occur due to radiation in adults are cancers:
Lung
Colon
Of the bladder
Breast
Adults are estimated to have a significant number of leukemia. Similarly to children, it is estimated that the most common cancers due to radiation will be:
To thyroid
In the lung
To the breast
The age group with the highest frequency of cancer due to CT scans is estimated to be 50-59 years old. At these ages, more than 20% of cases are expected.
Which are most responsible
The largest number of cancers in adults will come from the CT to the abdomen and pelvis (pelvis), the researchers say. Children will come more than axial heads.
Scientists also report that some computed tomography are unlikely to help patients and abuse. In this category there are some axials:
For upper respiratory infections
For headache not accompanied by alarming symptoms
Scientists say that if these axial or doses of radiation are reduced to them, the risks to patients can be reduced.
“There is an unacceptable fluctuation in the doses of radiation used in axial. Some patients receive over -doses, “he said. Smith-Bindman.
For her part, the researcher Dr. Malini Mahendra, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF, pointed out that it is important for families to understand the risk of cancer from pediatric axis.
“Few families are informed of the dangers that the axial conceals,” he said. “We hope that our findings will help doctors inform them better when discussing the advantages and disadvantages of these exams.”