CT scan won’t raise cancer risk in Covid patients: Experts - Hindustan Times
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CT scan won’t raise cancer risk in Covid patients: Experts

ByMandeep Kaur Narula, Chandigarh
Oct 18, 2021 07:37 PM IST

Experts from PGIMER, Chandigarh,and AIIMS, New Delhi, say there was no definite scientific evidence to date, which could prove that CT scans increased cancer risk

Medical experts from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, have said CT scans are not increasing the risk of cancer in Covid-19 patients.

A medical expert from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, said during the second wave of the pandemic, there was a controversy that CT scans are increasing the risk of cancer in Covid patients, but this theory holds little merit. (Reuters File Photo)
A medical expert from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, said during the second wave of the pandemic, there was a controversy that CT scans are increasing the risk of cancer in Covid patients, but this theory holds little merit. (Reuters File Photo)

The CT scan is a frequently used medical tool for diagnosing various diseases. The findings of the study have been recently published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), the official journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

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“During the second wave of the pandemic, there was a big controversy in India that CT scans are increasing the risk of cancer in Covid-19 patients. It was being said the CT scan could produce genetic mutations and cause cancer, as it involved the use of ionizing X-rays which are categorised as hazardous radiation. However, we reviewed the current scientific literature and concluded that this theory holds little merit,” said Dr Mandeep Garg, chest radiologist, PGIMER, who is the lead author of the study.

Despite using X-rays for more than 125 years and CT scans for nearly 50 years now, there was no definite scientific evidence to date, which could prove that CT scans increased cancer risk, the doctors concluded.

The co-authors of the study are Dr Nidhi Prabhakar from PGIMER and Dr Ashu Seith Bhalla from AIIMS, New Delhi.

Dr Garg said, “Also, not doing a CT scan fearing the hypothetical risk of radiation-induced cancer in a clinically relevant indication can delay treatment and cause more harm. The exposure to radiation from diagnostic medical imaging tests like CT scan results in limited radiation exposure and that too only to a portion of the body being scanned.”

“Even if any damage occurs to the cells due to low-dose exposures to the CT scan, the body has the inherent ability to overcome this cell damage and repair DNA without leaving any signs of injury,” he said.

The doctors also said there had been rapid technological advances in both CT scan hardware and software and the radiation delivered to patients in each CT scan examination has considerably reduced.

Though there were no signs of causing cancer, the doctors advised that the CT scan should be used judiciously and only when clinically indicated or when its results are expected to impact the treatment decision.

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