How CT scans increase the risk of blood cancer in children by 80%?
A recent study has revealed that two CT scans, including X-rays, in which radiation passes through the body, increase the risk of blood cancer in children by 80%.
Researchers revealed that according to an estimate, 1 in 10 children with blood cancer develops this deadly disease due to an imaging scan. A researcher from the University of California, San Francisco, says that although medical imaging is necessary to save lives in most cases, it is important for children’s health to minimise radiation exposure.
For this study, experts examined nearly 3.7 million children born in six US and Canadian healthcare systems between 1996 and 2016. During the study, 3,000 cases of blood cancer were diagnosed, which revealed that children are at the greatest risk from the increased radiation levels of CT scans.
The study results showed that the risk of blood cancer increased by 80 per cent in children who had 1 or 2 CT scans, while, in contrast, the risk of blood cancer as a result of X-rays was relatively low.
Read also: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/04/429791/popular-ct-scans-could-account-5-all-cancer-cases-year
