Study: CT Scans Can Triple Children’s Risks for Brain Cancer, Leukemia

The use of computer tomography (CT) scans in children can significantly increase a child’s risks of leukemia and brain cancer, according to the results of a study published online June 7, 2012, in the Lancet. The researchers examined the records of almost 180,000 children who underwent CT scans from 1985 to 2012 in England, Wales, or Scotland. They found that children who had two or three CT scans of the head had three times the risk of brain cancer compared with the general population. The risk of leukemia was three times greater in children who had 5 to 10 scans compared with the general population.