(BBN Editors: Questions and answers about CT Scans) (unwr) A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine raises serious concerns about the use, and overuse, of CT scanning. While individual risks of developing cancer from a CT scan, which emits high doses of radiation, are relatively low, the researchers worry that their rapid growth as a highly accurate diagnostic tool is exposing too much of the population—and an increasing amount of vulnerable children—to radiation and might be setting the stage for higher incidence of cancer in years to come. Around 62 million scans are performed per year, compared with only 3 million in 1980. Moreover, the researchers estimate that a third of those CT scans are entirely unnecessary—many of them now performed by cautious doctors on worried people with no symptoms at all. How is a CT scan different from a traditional X-ray? When is a CT scan definitely warranted? How should judgment factor in? What are the risks involved in CT scanning? Is that happening? What are some alternatives to CT scanning that patients should know about or ask their doctors? How do you prevent redundant CT scans and help patients to keep track of the scans they've already had? Are CT scans useful for asymptomatic patients?

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