Although most providers are aware that computed tomography scans increase a patient's risk of cancer, many underestimate just how significant the radiation exposure can be, according to research in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences.
Most physician, radiologist and technologist respondents to a survey were able to correctly identify that there is an increased risk of cancer from a single abdominal-pelvic CT scan. However, only 18 percent of physicians, 28 percent of radiologist and 22 percent of technologists were able to identify how much radiation a chest X-ray produces. Many respondents underestimated the level of radiation patients are exposed to during the scans.
"Underestimating radiation dose from a CT scan is more concerning than knowing the exact dose level, particularly when it is a vast underestimation, as this may lead to minimization of the risk estimate when considering a test," explained lead investigator David Leswick, MD, lead investigator with the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine in Saskatoon, Canada, said in a statement.
An additional finding was survey respondent misidentification of radiation associated with ultrasound and MRIs, which do not use ionizing radiation. The authors conclude the risk relationship between radiation exposure and cancer is so clear that it is crucial for providers to understand in which cases the benefits of such scans outweigh the dangers.
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