A new study shows that computed tomography (CT) scans are likely an “important cause of cancer” in the United States, resulting in nearly 5 per cent of the cases annually. The danger is greatest for infants, followed by children and adolescents.
The new research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine on by University of California, San Francisco scientists. Nearly 103,000 cancers are predicted to result from the 93 million CT scans that were performed in 2023 alone. This is 3 to 4 times more than previous assessments, the authors said.
The researchers noted that the number of CT scans performed in the US has increased by 30% since 2007. Researchers suggest that unwarranted tests are exposing the population to unnecessary radiation.
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“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,” write the international team of analysts, led by epidemiologist Rebecca Smith-Bindman from the University of California, San Francisco.
The most common adult cancers estimated to be a result of CT scans were lung, colon, leukemia, bladder and breast. The most frequently projected cancers in children were thyroid, lung and breast.
