Medical News

Filed under: Breast Cancer, All Cancers

A recent study found that heart CT scans can increase the risk of cancer, particularly for young female patients. For example, researchers found that a 20-year-old woman’s risk of developing cancer, usually breast cancer, increased to as high as one in 114 after a single scan. In comparison, the risk for an 80-year-old after one such scan was about one in 3,000.

So does this mean that we should stop using CT scans for heart imaging, especially for young women? According to Dr. Donald Frush of ABC News, the answer is no.

Frush does mention that there are other wasy to diagnose heart problems, including ultrasound or MRI. These methods do not use radiation. Stress tests are another method.

Frush says doctors should take into account a patient’s history when deciding what is the best method to use. For example, for a young woman with a history of breast cancer in her family, CT scans might not be the best option. But he concludes that CT scans for young women should not be ruled out entirely.

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Original post by Patricia Mayville-Cox

Filed under: Breast Cancer, All Cancers

A recent study found that heart CT scans can increase the risk of cancer, particularly for young female patients. For example, researchers found that a 20-year-old woman’s risk of developing cancer, usually breast cancer, increased to as high as one in 114 after a single scan. In comparison, the risk for an 80-year-old after one such scan was about one in 3,000.

So does this mean that we should stop using CT scans for heart imaging, especially for young women? According to Dr. Donald Frush of ABC News, the answer is no.

Frush does mention that there are other wasy to diagnose heart problems, including ultrasound or MRI. These methods do not use radiation. Stress tests are another method.

Frush says doctors should take into account a patient’s history when deciding what is the best method to use. For example, for a young woman with a history of breast cancer in her family, CT scans might not be the best option. But he concludes that CT scans for young women should not be ruled out entirely.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Original post by Patricia Mayville-Cox