[Fan Letters].In a small town, Uncle Zhao's granddaughter Zhao Yuer (pseudonym), who is only seven years old, has been coughing recently, and even has blood when coughing. In order to ensure Xiaoyu's physical condition, Uncle Zhao took her to the local hospital. At first, he chose a clinic in the town, but the doctor thought the situation was more serious and recommended going to the county hospital for a more comprehensive examination. At the county hospital, the doctor prescribed a series of tests for Xiaoyu, including a CT scan.
Uncle Zhao's daughter-in-law was not satisfied with this decision, and she had been worried that the radiation from the CT scan would be harmful to the children. She reproached Uncle Zhao and said: "CT has radiation, and the child's body can't bear it, why do you listen to the hospital like this!."Uncle Zhao also muttered in his heart, so he asked the doctor: "Doctor, my daughter-in-law said that there is radiation in the CT examination, and children can't stand it, is this true?"”
The doctor patiently explained, "It is true that there will be a certain amount of radiation in the CT examination, but we will try to control the dose of radiation when formulating the examination plan to ensure that it is within a safe range. For children, it is true that CT scans should not be performed frequently, but in some special cases, in order to understand the condition more accurately, it is necessary to have a test. Uncle Zhao thought about the doctor's words, and felt a little relieved.
He asked the doctor again: "Then Xiaoyu really needs to do CT this time?""Judging by her symptoms, there are indeed some serious ones that require a more thorough examination to determine**," the doctor said. We will do our best to ensure the safety of the inspection, but we will also conduct a comprehensive evaluation in other aspects. "What is the relationship between CT scan and cancer risk?
[Doctor's reply].Studies have shown that cells in children and adolescents are more sensitive to radiation, and that radiation has greater potential damage to their DNA due to tissue activity during growth and development**. This makes children more susceptible to the adverse effects of radiation than adults when they undergo CT scans. Therefore, we need to carefully weigh the necessity of early lung cancer screening against the potential health risks.
In the medical field, CT (computed tomography) technology is widely used in disease diagnosis and screening, especially in the early screening of lung cancer, low-dose spiral CT is considered to be one of the most effective methods. However, with the widespread use of technology, some researchers and experts have begun to warn that the radiation from CT scans may pose a potential risk to the health of children and adolescents, raising public concerns.
CT and carcinogenic risk
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and low-dose spiral CT is considered one of the most sensitive tools for early screening of lung cancer. In adults, its safety and benefits have been widely recognized, but in children and adolescents, the potential carcinogenic risk from radiation exposure has raised widespread concern.
The necessity of CT in early screening of lung cancer
Lung cancer is a highly fatal cancer, and early detection is critical to the success of the cancer. Low-dose spiral CT is able to provide high-resolution images at a lower radiation dose, helping doctors detect abnormalities in the early stages of lung cancer development. Especially for high-risk groups, such as smokers, people with a family history of lung cancer, CT screening is considered an effective means of prevention and early diagnosis.
Experts believe that for high-risk populations, the cost of CT safety is bearable in a sense. In these populations, early detection can greatly improve the chances of success and reduce the burden and expense. CT remains important as a screening tool for lung cancer in some specific situations.
The peculiarities of children and adolescents need to be treated with caution
However, it is clearly not advisable to "go first" with CT for any disease, especially if the patient is a child. Children and adolescents differ significantly from adults in physical, psychological, and growth and development, so more caution is required in the application of medical tests.
On the one hand, the relatively small body size of children and adolescents can lead to relatively higher radiation exposure for the same radiation dose. On the other hand, due to the active nature of children's growth and development, their cells are more sensitive to radiation, and the potential risk of radiation carcinogenesis is relatively large.
This makes it necessary to revisit the need for CT in children and adolescents. On the premise of not affecting the medical diagnosis and the best effect, we should perhaps expect the relevant departments to introduce stricter regulations and standards to minimize the use of CT in children. This includes greater emphasis on the specificity of pediatric patients in the development of clinical guidelines, and clarity of indications and contraindications for CT testing.
The use of CT under strict regulations
In order to reduce the radiation exposure of children and adolescents during CT examinations, the relevant authorities may consider developing stricter guidelines for its use. First, the indications for CT scans need to be clearly defined to ensure that they are only performed when necessary. Second, for high-risk populations, alternative screening methods, such as MRI or ultrasound, may be considered to reduce radiation exposure.
When performing CT examinations, medical institutions should strictly control the radiation dose to ensure that adequate image quality is obtained while minimizing radiation exposure. For children and adolescents, special pediatric CT parameters can be employed to further reduce the radiation dose.
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