Cancer Death Risk Related to Radiation Exposure from Computed Tomography Scanning Among Testicular Cancer Patients.
A study of the computed tomography (CT) imaging related effective doses and radiation-related cancer death risk.



Estimate effective doses were computed from CT scans of testicular cancer patients treated and followed-up in Turku University Hospital, South Western Finland. Association between effective doses from follow-up CT scans and radiation-induced cancer death was examined using United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2008 formula.



Mean effective dose per CT abdomen was 9.32 (standard deviation, SD 3.89) mSv and for whole-body CT it was 14.24 (SD 6.84) mSv. During follow-up of 6 years, the patients were estimated to undergo 12 to 14 abdominal/whole-body CTs and the corresponding risk estimates were 0.11 and 1.14, respectively. The risk of estimated radiation-induced cancer deaths (RICD in %) computed for mean effective doses was lower in patients diagnosed at older age, being 0.61 for 10-19 years age and 0.04 for 40-49 years age at the diagnosis.



Patient radiation exposure in CT imaging is associated with the type of CT device and imaging protocols, which should be periodically updated and reviewed to minimize individual exposure. Using the UNSCEAR modelling 2 % risk for radiation related cancer death was attributed to diagnostic exposure of study patients. Age at the diagnosis was associated with CT imaging related radiation exposure. The highest exposure was estimated to the youngest patients.
STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, Finland eevsal@utu.fi.|Department of Oncology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Eeva
E
Salminen
Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.|Medical Imaging Center of Southwest Finland, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Hannele
H
Niiniviita
STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, Finland.
Hannu
H
Järvinen
Finnish Cancer Registry, Helsinki, Finland.
Sirpa
S
Heinävaara
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
Computed tomography; cancer death risk; radiation exposure