In a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, researchers estimated the potential risk of cancer from CT scans in 31, patients over 22 years. For the group as a whole, the increase in risk was slight — 0. But for patients who had multiple CT scans, the increase in risk was higher, ranging from 2. Unless you were exposed to high doses of radiation during cancer treatment in youth, any increase in your risk for cancer due to medical radiation appears to be slight.
But we don't really know for sure, since the effects of radiation damage typically take many years to appear, and the increase in high-dose imaging has occurred only since So until we know more, you will want to keep your exposure to medical radiation as low as possible. You can do that in several ways, including these:. Discuss any high-dose diagnostic imaging with your clinician. If you need a CT or nuclear scan to treat or diagnose a medical condition, the benefits usually outweigh the risks.
Still, if your clinician has ordered a CT, it's reasonable to ask what difference the result will make in how your condition is managed; for example, will it save you an invasive procedure? Keep track of your x-ray history. It won't be completely accurate because different machines deliver different amounts of radiation, and because the dose you absorb depends on your size, your weight, and the part of the body targeted by the x-ray. But you and your clinician will get a ballpark estimate of your exposure.
Consider a lower-dose radiation test. If your clinician recommends a CT or nuclear medicine scan, ask if another technique would work, such as a lower-dose x-ray or a test that uses no radiation, such as ultrasound which uses high-frequency sound waves or MRI which relies on magnetic energy.
Consider less-frequent testing. If you're getting regular CT scans for a chronic condition, ask your clinician if it's possible to increase the time between scans. And if you feel the CT scans aren't helping, discuss whether you might take a different approach, such as lower-dose imaging or observation without imaging. Don't seek out scans. It also comes from various other natural and man-made sources.
X-rays are common medical imaging tests. They use a type of radiation called ionizing radiation. This type of radiation can lead to cancer but only in higher doses. Medical tests that involve X-rays generally expose us to only small amounts of radiation. However, with the increase in imaging tests being used, people are becoming more concerned about radiation risks.
Ionizing radiation is classified as a human carcinogen. It can damage cells and DNA and cause cancer. However, many common imaging tests use very low doses of radiation and pose only a minimal risk when performed properly.
Experts agree that the benefits far outweigh the risks. X-rays have saved millions of lives by helping doctors diagnose, monitor, and treat many medical conditions. Several types of medical imaging procedures use X-ray technology. They use an X-ray beam to view the internal structures of the body for different purposes. Each procedure poses a different associated risk depending on the type of X-ray used and the area of the body being viewed.
A radiograph — commonly known simply as an X-ray — provides a quick static image of a body part. Simple X-rays use very little radiation. The radiation dose from a mammogram is 0. CT scans create 3-D pictures that allow doctors to view your organs and other tissues.
To help avoid the possible health effects of ionising radiation, man-made exposures are tightly regulated in the UK. There is evidence that radiation from medical imaging such as x-rays slightly increases the risk of cancer. About 6 in 1, cancers in the UK are linked to this type of radiation. But the health risks are much lower than the risks of medical conditions if they are not diagnosed and treated correctly.
Medical x-rays and other types of imaging are very important to help diagnose different illnesses — from broken bones to cancer. Other types of imaging that use ionising radiation include mammography used for breast screening and fluoroscopy e. The amount of radiation from medical imaging is usually less than we would be exposed to naturally over time.
Different types of medical imaging give out different amounts of radiation. The level of risk from the radiation you receive will depend on:. In the UK, the government estimates the amount of radiation received from different types of x-rays and sets guidelines to make sure they are as safe as possible. But in some cases an x-ray is the best way to do the job.
You should also tell your doctor about any previous x-rays you have had as this may mean that you do not need to have more. For information on radiation used in cancer treatment, read our page on radiotherapy. Travelling by plane is one of safest ways to travel and is unlikely to affect your risk of cancer.
The atmosphere thins the higher you get, so someone flying in a plane would receive more cosmic radiation than someone on the ground.
A passenger would get a very small extra amount of radiation, but this is unlikely to affect their cancer risk, even if they were a frequent flyer.
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