Parents are very anxious when it comes to having their child x-rayed.
A new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation suggests that X-ray exposure is negligible and does not increase cancer risk in the vast majority of children..
To adequately assess the impact of X-ray exposure on children, researchers at the Duke University Medical Center (North Carolina) conducted a study that included 337 children under the age of 6 who suffered from heart disease.
The team, led by Dr. Kevin Hill, a cardiologist and professor of pediatrics at Duke, chose this group of children because they all had multiple chest x-rays—much more often than other groups of children..
The number of imaging procedures performed on these 337 children during the course of their illness exceeded 14,000.. This includes x-rays, computed tomography and cardiac catheterization using fluoroscopy.
The scientists found that even under these conditions, the cumulative dose of ionizing radiation per child was lower than the dose of annual background radiation in the United States..
While these numbers should reassure parents, in the end, the researchers concluded that some children with complex heart disease who receive really high doses of radiation have a slightly increased risk of cancer over the course of their lives - up to 6.5% compared with the initial.
Commenting on the results, Dr Hill said: “There are certain situations where radiation is really needed.. But it is very important for parents to ask and compare the risks in case they may refuse a potentially dangerous procedure.. Often alternative or modified procedures can be found, and sometimes imaging may not be necessary.”.
This study was the first to quantify the effect on cancer risk of cumulative radiation doses in children with heart disease, based on the type of exposure..
They reviewed medical records to find the most common procedures associated with maximum exposure levels.. They then used the US National Academy of Sciences Cancer Report.
Scientists have established the following:.
•Increased lifetime cancer risk ranges from 0.002% on chest x-ray to 0.4% on CT and fluoroscopy.
•In the US, fluoroscopy and CT scans account for 81% of the radiation dose in these children.
• Girls have a 2 times higher risk of cancer than boys due to breast and thyroid cancer.
Dr. Hill says: “Ordinary awareness is one of the main steps to reduce the impact. Health care professionals should discuss with parents changing the protocol to limit radiation doses, and balance the risks and benefits of imaging procedures, if needed.”.
In 2013, medical publications reported on an interesting study. They found that cancer-fighting compounds in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli) protected rodents from radiation damage..
medbe. en.