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| CT scans could triple risk of a brain tumor in children |
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Thousands of children every year who undergo head scans triple their risk of developing leukemia or a brain tumor, scientists warn.{Comments: There is more and more evidence pointing to an increased risk of brain tumor, especially, after CT scans. The Medical journal, The Lancet, recently published a study funded by the National Cancer Institute. The study involved approximately 180,000 British patients, under age 22, who had received a CT scan between 1985 and 2002. These patients were followed up until 2009 and the researchers noted that there was significantly higher incidence of brain tumor or leukemia cases in the patients when they received multiple CT scans as children. Although in many cases CT scans can be lifesaving, it must be remembered that the dose of radiation from one CT scan can sometimes vary between 10-50 times more than a single X-ray. The use of CT scans in the US has skyrocketed over the past three decades because of ease of use, it is non-invasive, fast, convenient, and a painless diagnostic tool. In addition, CT scans provide a clearer image of muscles, blood vessels and other soft tissues. Children are more prone to sports and other injuries, which often may necessitate a faster diagnosis and thus they get repeated CT scans. However, it is forgotten that children are also more prone to radiation damage because of their thin bones and their torso cannot provide enough protection to their rapidly developing organs. The main concern arises because this useful technology is being used for trivial diagnoses such as kidney stones, appendicitis, and dental problems, which are all too common in children and young adults. Indiscriminate use of CT scans, especially when other tools such as X-Rays, ultrasound, and MRI are available, could feed the cancer epidemic in future. It is well known that long-term radiation exposure can cause cancer. However, this particular study followed patients for only a few years and the increased risk of brain tumor and leukemia was already evident within one decade. The researchers observed those who received two or three CT head scans before the age 15 were three times more likely to develop brain cancer and those who received five to ten body scans were three times more likely to develop leukemia over the same period. Numbers of CT scans have increased substantially in past few years, from 3 million scans in the 1980s to 70 million scans in 2007. More than 4-7 million children are getting CT scans, and the numbers continue to increase by 10% every year. With such an increase, it could be extrapolated that just the CT scan exposure in children may lead to 29,000 new cases of cancers in upcoming years. Another Japanese study published in 2001 predicted that of the 600,000 children under 15 who were having head and abdominal scans in the United States each year, 500 might ultimately die of cancer caused by the CT radiation. To learn how to use diagnostic technologies wisely and to protect yourself and others, please read more at: http://www.drrathresearch.org/education/health-reviews.html} |