The ALARA concept in pediatric oncology

Understanding the problem of a parent’s fear of their child getting cancer from CT scan radiation

“…However, many peer reviewed publications make the claim that even a single CT scan can increase cancer risk (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47). Some articles clearly state that the risk, if any, is low and based on hypothesis driven by theoretical extrapolation of high dose radiation from the atomic bomb to low doses (9,35).…”

“…Many scientific publications refer to a very rapid annual rise in the number of CT scans being performed (9,33,37,38,43,45,55). The rise in the number of annual CT scans is often viewed as bad, increasing the population radiation exposure and the risk of cancer.…”

“…As a liaison between radiologist and parents, the urologist should also be able to explain the possible risks and alternatives to the patient family Voss 2009 Numerous reports have emphasized that even low doses of radiation exposure, such as those occurring during radiological examinations, can lead to long-term adverse health outcomes, most notably increases in risk of malignancy Willis 2004 Research indicates an increased risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia 13 from plain film studies and an increased risk of fatal breast cancer from scoliosis series Willis 2004 No level of radiation exposure is without consequence,…”

The future of pediatric US

“…Consider also the difference in imaging guidelines for oncology follow-up between North America and Europe. Staging and surveillance of most pediatric cancers in the United States rely primarily on contrast-enhanced CT, whereas in Europe imaging of the abdomen and pelvis relies primarily on MRI and US [8]. Studies in process with the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) are evaluating the use of whole-body MRI in staging pediatric malignancy [9], and other researchers are pursuing similar studies in an effort to minimize imaging-related radiation exposure [10,11].…”

ALARA, Image Gently and CT-induced cancer

“…In 2001, a group of inspired pediatric radiologists introduced the ALARA concept into routine clinical radiology practice [4][5][6][7]. The ALARA and the Image Gently campaigns have been very successful in achieving their goals of reducing unnecessary imaging and radiation exposure, inspiring the development of new technology, and expanding our understanding of measuring radiation dose in humans [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”