CT scans are important medical tools that help doctors get detailed images of the inside of our bodies to diagnose health problems. They can help save lives by spotting problems like injuries or tumors. But now, some scientists are asking an important question: Are we doing too many CT scans?

In the United States, more and more people are getting CT scans. In fact, the number of these scans has gone up by more than 30% since 2007. While they can be important for health, some researchers think people may be getting them even when they’re not really needed. That could mean being exposed to more radiation than necessary.

CT scans use something called ionizing radiation to take pictures of the body. Scientists already know that high levels of this radiation can cause cancer. But what about small amounts, like what a person gets from just one scan?

Right now, there's no clear proof that low levels of radiation cause cancer. But some researchers believe there may still be a small risk, especially when millions of people get scans every year.

A team of researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom looked at how many CT scans were done in 2023. Based on past studies and some assumptions, they believe that radiation from these scans could possibly lead to 103,000 cases of cancer in the future.

They say this could mean that up to 5% of new cancer cases in the U.S. might come from CT scan radiation. If true, that would put CT scans in the same group as other big cancer risks like drinking too much alcohol.

"CT is frequently lifesaving, yet its potential harms are often overlooked, and even very small cancer risks will lead to a significant number of future cancers given the tremendous volume of CT use in the United States," wrote the research team, led by Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman from the University of California, San Francisco.

The idea that low levels of radiation may cause cancer comes mostly from past events. Scientists have studied people who were exposed to high radiation from atomic bombs or nuclear accidents. For example, a group of 25,000 people who survived the bombing in Hiroshima received radiation similar to three or more CT scans. In that group, researchers noticed a small but real increase in cancer cases.

Even though the risks are still only guesses at this point, doctors say it’s important to use CT scans only when they are truly needed.

 

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