Is Whole-Body Scan Dangerous?

According to new calculations from the Columbia University Center for Radiological Research in New York, the risk of developing radiation-induced cancer later in life with a single full-body scan is about 1 in 1,200, meaning if 1,200 people had these scans, one could be expected to develop cancer as a result of the radiation exposure.

Radiation exposure is determined by:

• The type of test performed
• The region of the body exposed
• The person's body size, age, and gender
• Other factors

According to radiation specialists, the increase in the risk of cancer imaging scans is relatively less. However, it is difficult to determine how much radiation exposure from imaging examinations may raise your risk of cancer. 

The majority of research on radiation and cancer risk has focused on people who have been exposed to extremely high doses of radiation, such as uranium miners and atomic bomb survivors. The danger of low-level radiation exposure is difficult to assess based on studies.

However, it is well established that children are particularly vulnerable to radiation and should be shielded from it as much as possible. Exposure to radiation while being pregnant can harm the fetus; therefore, scans that utilize radiation are avoided during pregnancy.

Whole-body scans that use ionizing radiation include:

• X-rays:
  • X-rays are a form of electromagnetic waves
  • They pass through opaque objects
  • When X-rays are passed through your body, images of your bones are captured
  • X-rays have become the most frequent diagnostic test to detect abnormality in bones and spot pneumonia, and dental X-rays to detect abnormalities in teeth.
  • X-rays are carcinogenic, which means they have the potency to cause cancer
  • A single chest X-ray exposes the patient to around 0.1 mSv of radiation. This is around the same amount of radiation that individuals are naturally exposed to over about 10 days. 
• Computed tomography (CT) scan:
  • A CT scan utilizes a large number of X-rays, which increases the risk of cancer.
  • A chest CT scan is equivalent to 350 chest X-rays; a CT abdominal scan is equivalent to 400 chest X-rays; a CT pulmonary angiography is equivalent to 750 chest X-rays. 
  • Mothers who undergo imaging during pregnancy increase the chance of having a child with cancer or leukemia.
  • You are placed inside a CT scan machine tube where X-rays are used to capture images of your body as small cross-sections or slices.
  • CT scans are to be done only on the advice of a medical practitioner. 
• Mammogram:
  • Mammograms are X-rays done on breasts to detect breast cancer.
  • Although the quantity of radiation from each mammography is small, it can pile up over time.
  • Mammography exposes a woman to 0.4 mSv, which is roughly the amount of radiation a person would expect to get from natural background exposure during seven weeks.
  • Several studies have reported that the risk of breast cancer from radiation released during mammography is extremely low among women aged 50 to 69 years who engage in screening. However, frequent use may cause harm.
• Positive emission tomography (PET) scan:
  • PET scans expose you to high levels of radiation.
  • PET scans are used to determine the activity of organs and detect cancers in the body.
  • You will be injected with radioactive sugar, which adds up to more exposure to radiation. 
  • This scan requires you to change to uncomfortable positions and holding breath frequently to capture images from all angles. 
• Fluoroscopic procedures:
  • Fluoroscopy utilizes high doses of radiation, more than conventional X-rays.
  • Radiation-induced skin and underlying tissue damage or burns may occur quickly after exposure, and radiation-induced cancers may arise later in life. 
  • During the fluoroscopic procedure, you will be injected with a dye, and continuous X-rays are sent into your body to capture the body activity in detail.
• Nuclear medicine examinations:
  • Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that involves the use of radioactive substances to aid in diagnosis or treatment. 
  • An external detector detects radiation emitted by the body rather than utilizing an external source that creates it, such as an X-ray machine.
  • It may have negative effects on pregnant or nursing mothers. 
  • Nuclear medicine poses the risk of serious allergic responses.

• Though the benefits of these diagnostic methods outweigh the negative effects of radiation on the body, you must not overdo and exceed the limit of suggested radiation exposure per year. 
• All these tests are to be done only on the prescription of a doctor, only if necessary. 
• These tests are not 100 percent accurate, and screening in the absence of symptoms is harmful. There are chances of misdiagnosis where cancer can be missed or you can be wrongfully diagnosed to have cancer.
• Either way, you fall, victim, where harmful cancers that are small or slow-growing will be missed and you ignore any associated symptoms or receive unnecessary treatment for a wrong diagnosis, which is even harmful.