Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Healthcare research is notorious for conflicting studies. There was a time when megadoses of vitamin C were thought to be a good thing, and coffee seems to vacillate between good and bad depending on the day of the week.
Radiology is currently in the midst of a doozy, with two recent research studies published in prominent academic journals offering wildly divergent opinions on the value of CT lung screening.
The first study, published last fall with data from the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP), found that CT screening detects lung nodules early and can improve survivability rates. That study was contradicted, however, by research released in March concluding that CT lung screening does not reduce the risk of advanced lung cancer or lung cancer mortality.
So which study is right, and why are the results so discordant? We address that issue in an article we're featuring this week in our CT Digital Community by staff writer Wayne Forrest. You can find the article by clicking here.
It's against this backdrop that a new report landed this week with eye-opening findings on the level of medical radiation being delivered to U.S. residents -- a level that surely would increase if CT lung screening were ever adopted on a widespread scale.
The study, presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements, found that U.S. residents have experienced a sixfold increase in medical radiation dose since 1980 -- with much of that increase due to CT scanning.
Indeed, CT scanning accounts for nearly half of the medical radiation dose delivered in the U.S., despite making up just 12% of all medical radiation procedures in the country. Get the rest of the details by clicking here.
Finally, the American College of Radiology has released a new white paper on medical radiation dose that calls for stepped up education and monitoring to counter rising dose levels. Find out what the Reston, VA, society is recommending by clicking here.
Get these stories and more in our CT Digital Community, at ct.auntminnie.com.
