Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Smoking/adverse effects , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/adverse effects , Positron-Emission Tomography/adverse effects , Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/diagnosis , Radiation Dosage , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Mass Screening/adverse effects , Mass Screening/methods , Risk Factors , Risk Assessment , Positron-Emission Tomography/methods , Early Detection of Cancer , Italy , Lung Neoplasms/etiology , Lung Neoplasms/epidemiology , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/etiology , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/prevention & control , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The advance of medical imaging technology has led to an increase in the medical radiation exposure, especially derived from computed tomography (CT). Recent studies confirm a small but significant increase of cancer cases induced by CT radiation. Children are markedly more sensitive to radiation than adults and in addition, their life expectancy is longer, so we must use all resources to optimize and reduce the exposure dose using the ALARA concept. CT is an important diagnostic tool in medical practice and its benefits far outweigh the costs of radiation if the indication is properly justified.
El avance tecnológico de las imágenes para evaluación de enfermedades ha llevado a un aumento considerable de la radiación de origen médica, principalmente la proveniente de la tomografía computada (TC). Estudios recientes confirman un pequeño pero significativo incremento de casos de cáncer inducidos por radiación generada por la TC. Siendo los niños reconocidamente más sensibles a la radiación que los adultos y sumado a su mayor expectativa de vida, es que debemos usar todos los recursos para optimizar y reducir la dosis de exposición aplicando el concepto de ALARA. La TC es una herramienta diagnóstica importantísima en la práctica médica, y sus beneficios superan ampliamente los costos de la radiación si su indicación está adecuadamente justificada.
Subject(s)
Humans , Child , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/etiology , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/adverse effects , Radiation Dosage , Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/prevention & control , Risk Assessment , Radiography/adverse effectsABSTRACT
The results of five years of radiation monitoring of 590 radiation workers in Jamaica and an additional 88 in Barbados and The Turks and Caicos Islands show that the annual dose absorbed by Caribbean radiation workers is, with a single exception, well within the internationally accepted limits of 20 mSv per year. There were few cases of relatively high exposures. The dose equivalent of the radiation workers by category agrees with international trends; workers in nuclear medicine receive the highest doses and dental radiologists the lowest. The collective Effective Dose Equivalent has been calculated for each of the monitored populations and certain trends identified. The risk for development of fatal cancers from the occupational doses reported was very low. Consistent monitoring will identify aberrant conditions quickly and help maintain that record