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CT Exams in 2023 Projected to Result in 103,000 Future Cancers

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 17, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 -- At current utilization and radiation dose levels, computed tomography (CT) examinations in 2023 were projected to result in about 103,000 future cancers among exposed patients, according to a study published online April 14 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Rebecca Smith-Bindman, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues projected the number of future lifetime cancers in the U.S. population that were associated with CT imaging in 2023 in a risk model using a multicenter sample of CT examinations prospectively assembled between January 2018 and December 2020.

An estimated 61,510,000 patients underwent 93,000,000 CT examinations in 2023; 4.2 and 95.8 percent were children and adults, respectively, and 53.0 and 47.0 percent were female and male patients. As a result of these examinations, the researchers projected approximately 103,000 radiation-induced cancers. Children and adolescents had higher estimated radiation-induced cancer risks, but higher CT utilization in adults accounted for most radiation-induced cancers (93,000 [91 percent]). Lung cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, and bladder cancer were the most common cancers (22,400, 8,700, 7,900, and 7,100 cases, respectively); breast was the second most common cancer among female patients (5,700 cases). In adults, the largest number of cancers was projected to result from abdomen and pelvic CT, reflecting 37 percent of 103,000 cancers and 32 percent of 93 million CT examinations, followed by chest CT (21 percent of cancers; 21 percent of examinations).

"Although there is some uncertainty around these estimates, the findings suggest that CT scans are likely an important cause of cancer in the United States and could be responsible for as many as 5 percent of incident cancers annually," write the authors of an accompanying editorial. "These estimates put CT scanning on par with other well-known risk factors for cancer, including alcohol and obesity."

"There are no published studies directly linking CT scans (even multiple CT scans) to cancer," according to a statement from the American College of Radiology. "Americans should not forgo necessary, life-saving medical imaging and [should] continue to discuss the benefits and risks of these exams with their health care providers."

One author of the study by Smith-Bindman and colleagues disclosed ties to Alara Imaging Inc.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

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