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The dangers of whole body CT scans
(April 2005)

Healthful Life has consistently opposed the use of whole body scans to allegedly detect disease in various organs and tissues at very early and presumably more treatable stages. We have opposed these scans on several grounds: lack of any proof of effectiveness; too many false positives that require additional, sometimes invasive, followup studies for no significant disease; and inordinate expense. To that list, add the dangers of excessive radiation. David Brenner and Carl Elliston of the Columbia University Center for Radiologic Research examined the amount of radiation exposure during each computed tomographic (CT) scan and related that exposure to the occurrence of cancer due to exposure to the atomic bomb. The advantage of that type of analysis is that the extent of exposure of those undergoing total body scans is known as is the amount of exposure of atomic bomb survivors. Their unusual analysis suggests that a single body scan results in a 0.08 percent life time risk of developing cancer due to that radiation; that means one of every 1,250 persons getting the body scan will suffer from cancer as a result of the test. For 45-year-old persons getting an annual CT body scan every year for 30 years, one of every 50 persons will develop a radiation-related cancer during their life time. That is a very substantial risk. For a 60-year-old getting 15 annual total body scans, the cancer risk is 1 in 220. That, too, is quite significant.

Some experts will argue with the calculations and the extent of the risk; nevertheless, this article from a well-respected source makes it clear that the amount of radiation has to be considered a substantial risk.

So, now we have a test that is expensive, that has not been shown to be effective, carries with it risks and expenses from false positives and may be a cancer risk. There are lots of entrepreneurs urging the public to have these expensive whole body scans for screening purposes. They use seductive advertisements about health promotion and early disease detection, and they will be happy to take your money. But, given the lack of proof of benefit and lots of potential harms, the critical question is "why would anyone bother with this test?".

Brenner, J.J. and Elliston, C.D. Estimated radiation risks potentially associated with full body CT screening. Radiology. Vol 232 (September) Pgs 735-738. 2004.