Is There A Link Between CT Scans And Higher Cancer Rates?
Physicians reportedly obtain over 60 million computed tomography (CT) scans each year in the United States. However, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggests that CT scans may be linked to an increased risk of radiation exposure and cancer. Citing evidence from epidemiologic studies, the authors of the NEJM article indicate that organ doses from a common CT study, consisting of two or three scans, may result in an increased risk of cancer. “As compared with plain film radiography, CT involves much higher doses of radiation, resulting in a marked increase in radiation exposure in the population,” note the authors of the NEJM review article. They concede that there are no currently published epidemiologic studies that look at cancer risks associated with CT scans. However, the authors of the NEJM article note that “applying organ-specific cancer incidence or mortality data” from long-term follow-up studies of atomic bomb survivors allows estimates of the link
