Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a body scan that provides detailed images particularly good for viewing soft tissue (versus a traditional X-ray that’s better for seeing bone). Sometimes, drugs are injected before you have an MRI to add contrast, making the images sharper. But some of the drugs in those agents might be toxic. We….
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U.S. Mammogram Recommendations Reinforced by Global Studies
A couple of months ago, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) stirred the cancer screening pot with its opinion that mammograms are of limited use as cancer screenings for younger women and that, mostly, only women 50 and older should get them regularly. This month, its recommendation (in draft form) received support from the….
Continue ReadingSuperior Reporting on a Complicated Topic — Lung Cancer Screenings
Earlier this month, the New York Times wrestled with the thorny issue of lung cancer screenings, and whether people who are entitled to certain screenings through their Medicare coverage should get them. As the paper pointed out, “… screening will not help everyone who is eligible, experts warn. Like any medical test or procedure, it….
Continue ReadingPatients Undergoing Scans Seldom Told of Full Radiation Risks
Another unsettling study indicates that people undergoing diagnostic scans involving radiation are not given information about the risks of the procedure. As reported by AboutLawsuits.com, less than half of those patients are aware of the scan’s potential health risks. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, found that 1 in….
Continue ReadingToo Many Stress Tests Involve Unnecessary Exposure to Radiation
Cardiac stress testing can be a useful tool to assess heart function, but since it became trendy for companies to subject their executives to treadmill stress tests as part of their annual checkups, the technology has grown too big for its britches. That’s paraphrasing the results of a study published recently in the Annals of….
Continue ReadingUltrasound Is Better than CT for Kidney Stones
Despite the increased use of CT scans to diagnose kidney stones for emergency department patients, the imaging technology is no better than an ultrasound exam, and ultrasound is safer. Ultrasound, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, (NEJM) is the preferred first-line diagnostic tool when someone presents at the….
Continue ReadingTexas Might Decide Radiologic Techs Don’t Need a License
Texas has about 28,000 licensed X-ray technicians, but if the state follows the recommendation of an advisory commission, the piece of paper that certifies that they’re qualified to dose you with radiation won’t be necessary. The state, according to the Texas Tribune, might decide that radiologic technologists, as well as several other categories of health….
Continue ReadingDoctors Call for Lowering Use of Radiation Imaging
Writing last month in the New York Times, Dr. Rita F. Redberg, a cardiologist, and Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a radiologist, applauded the advances made in preventing and treating cancer. But they also deplored the fact that the rate of cancer “remains stubbornly high and may soon surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death”….
Continue ReadingToo Many Doctors Use Too Much Radiation to Treat Prostate Cancer Pain
Although radiation can be a vital diagnostic tool and a life-saving cancer treatment, its dangers are well-documented (see our backgrounder on radiation overdose injuries). A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that doctors might be using radiation therapy too often for patients with advanced-stage prostate cancer. That puts….
Continue ReadingFederal Panel Recommends Annual CT Scans for Some Smokers
We’ve all found ourselves in the middle of conflicting opinions about the advisability of a certain health procedure. A TV news report, a newspaper analysis and a disease website advisory all might offer different takes on the same situation. Often in those circumstances, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent medical expert advisory….
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