CT Scans in Children May Trigger 5,000 Cancers in U.S.
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The radiation from 4 million annual computerized tomography scans in U.S. children younger than 15 may lead to almost 5,000 cancers each year in the future, a study found.
The use of CT scans of the head, abdomen or pelvis, chest or spine in children 14 years and younger more than doubled from 1996 to 2007 before beginning to decline through 2010, according to research released today by JAMA Pediatrics. Those at greater risk for cancer were younger patients, girls, and those who underwent CT scans of the abdomen/pelvis or the spine rather than other areas of the body, the researchers said.