The Wall Street Journal recently reported that new studies indicate the radiation exposure from computer tomography (CT) scans may be more likely to cause cancer than previously believed. The findings of the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, support using medical technologies that use radiation with caution. The results have even caused the recommended age to begin annual mammograms to be shifted from age 40 to age 50. The use of CT scans has increased dramatically in recent years, but this study may cause the rate to decrease. CT scans are very helpful in finding injuries and tumors, but their widespread use exposes a lot of healthy patients to radiation. Hopefully medical professionals will take these new findings into account to determine whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks on an individual basis.
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