Use of Ionizing Radiation in Screening Exams for Coronary Artery Calcium and Cancers of the Lung, Colon and Breast

The majority of medical imaging tests are used for diagnostic purposes to evaluate symptomatic patients, but a select few are commonly used for screening, including computed tomography (CT) for coronary artery calcium screening, lung cancer screening, and colon cancer screening; and mammography for breast cancer screening. All of these tests utilize ionizing radiation. Concerns about potential risk associated with ionizing radiation have increased in recent years with the increased use of medical imaging.

Source: Seminars in Roentgenology - October 20, 2014 Category: Radiology Authors: Shuai Leng, Carrie B. Hruska, Cynthia H. McCollough Source Type: research