Kudos for the WSJ for publicizing risks of cardiac CT testing. Not enough emphasis is placed on the potential risks of the latest and greatest diagnostic tests:
The authors concluded that the lifetime risk of cancer attributable to 64-slice scans, used to diagnose heart disease, varies widely. It’s highest for women, younger patients, and for scans that look at the aorta and coronary arteries. The risk for cancer attributable to the scans ranges from less than 0.02% for 80-year-old men receiving a type of scan modified to minimize radiation dose to 0.88% for 20-year-old women undergoing a scan of the heart and aortic arch. Overall, lungs are at most risk. For young women, the risk is greatest for breast cancer.
