Cancer Treatment Options Forum - December 17th, 2010 - 3 Comments
How do I get my radiation levels tested? And do you think I'm at a risk for cancer now?
I’ve had an abdominal x ray, abdominal CT scan and and MRI in the past few weeks. In a few more weeks I have to go back in for another CT scan. I’m worried about the risk of cancers…I know the MRI puts you at risk. How do they go about radiation testing? And do you think 3 times is enough to make it necessary to get tested?
There’s no way to test how much radiation you have already received. Estimates can be made based on how many x-rays and CT scans you have had. Typically, the only people who measure their radiation dosing (with a dosimeter) are ones who work in an environment in which they are exposed to lots of radiation. For example, x-ray techs are potentially exposed to dozens of x-rays per day. Interventional radiologists and similar professions that use fluoroscopy are exposed to the equivalent of probably hundreds of x-rays per day.
MRI doesn’t use ionizing radiation, so cancer is not really an issue with that. In theory a single x-ray will increase your risk of cancer, but the increased risk is so small as to be virtually negligible. For an adult, I would not be concerned about a few CT scans. I would feel differently if it was a little kid. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t get the CT scan on a kid, it just means I had better have a damn good reason for doing it.
The MRI machine uses magnetic fields to do imaging. There’s no risk of cancer from it. X-rays are the only thing you need to worry about (and maybe the CT scan) but you’ve only had a couple of them. You really don’t have to worry about that.
You are not really irradiated from those devices. In an MRI there is no radiation involved at all, in fact.
You don’t carry away the radiation from the CT and x-ray. It is just a brief exposure. Technically, you are at an elevated cancer risk because of this exposure, but by elevated, i mean 0.00000001% increase. Nothing to worry about. If you eat bananas regularly, your exposing yourself to a lot more radiation than those tests did. (the potassium in bananas is radioactive, and can actually set off radiation detectors at shipping ports)