nuclear-news

Medical radiation tests can cause harm

Radiation tests are questioned
The Baltimore Sun by Stephanie Desmon | stephanie.desmon@baltsun.com Radiation tests are questioned — baltimoresun.com

August 27, 2009

Skyrocketing numbers of expensive medical imaging procedures – from CT scans to nuclear stress tests – are not just straining the nation’s health care system, but are exposing patients to significant amounts of potentially cancer-causing radiation even though little research has been done into whether those tests actually make people healthier, a new study suggests.

The tests, say the study’s authors, may be doing more harm than good.

“One reason why these tests are being used more is they’re getting better and better and they’re an extremely helpful part of diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Reza Fazel, a cardiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and the lead author of a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. “But just because we have them doesn’t mean we should use them. … There’s a cost with these tests, and it’s not just dollars but radiation risk.”…………………

…..only a few imaging tests – mammograms for discovering breast tumors, ultrasound of the abdomen for diagnosing aortic aneurysms – have been scientifically proved to save lives. Many have never been studied in large-scale clinical trials. In addition to leading to high doses of radiation, some tests can find cancers so small they might never have caused problems, leading to unnecessary surgeries and psychological distress.

 

August 28, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, environment, USA