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Consider the recent evidence about the long-term effects of CAT Scan (CT) radiation in children. But, before we get there — please don’t flip out — CTs can be valuable tools, so please don’t decide that you will boycott them entirely. That said, it’s undeniable that there’s been an explosion in the use of CTs, and that this is a concerning trend. Mounting evidence shows that CT exposure in childhood results in a small but real increased risk of cancer later in life.

For example, Diana Miglioretti and colleagues recently reported in JAMA Pediatrics on the cumulative CT radiation doses in children younger than 15 in seven U.S. health care systems between 1996 and 2010. The authors found that between 1996 and 2005, CT use doubled for children younger than 5 and tripled for children ages 5 to 14. From their data, the authors extrapolated the number of future cancers that might be attributed to CT radiation. Their estimate? That the about 4 million pediatric CTs done annually in the U.S. will ultimately lead to nearly 5,000 lifetime cancers.

Another recent study from Australia by John Matthews and colleagues, published in BMJ, helps give us a bit more perspective. The investigators retrospectively reviewed the national health database records of more than 10.9 million Australians born between 1985 and 2005. They identified nearly 700,000 people (6 percent) who had at least one CT scan during childhood and linked these with cancer diagnoses that were established one year or more after CT exposure.

They found, after some statistical adjustment, that the group of children exposed to CT scans were 24 percent more likely to develop any cancer during the study time period and that their risk bumped up (about 16 percent or so) with each additional scan. The peril was greater for children exposed at younger ages and was linked to many different types of malignancies — including cancers of the brain, skin, blood and gut…….

What we should recognize, however, is that there is a potential health cost associated with CTs — especially in children — and that many CTs are performed in situations where there benefit does not exceed their risk and where patients do not fully understand hazards…….

Now, the American Cancer Society is starting enrollment in their latest long-range cancer study, called CPS-3, and they are looking for volunteers here in Marin County. Individuals may participate if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study (which involves completing follow-up surveys periodically over the next 20 to 30 years), are between the ages of 30 to 65 years old and have never been diagnosed with cancer. More information on the study can be found on the website www.cancer.org/cps3…….. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_23630123/dr-dustin-ballard-examining-trade-offs-ct-scan