Millions of Americans are being exposed to potentially cancer-causing levels of radiation from medical imaging tests. Per capita radiation doses in the U.S. have risen sixfold since the early 1980’s, and according to Reza Fazel, MD of Atlanta’s Emory University School of Medicine, “Our study shows that a lot of people are getting high doses of radiation.”

Average Americans typically receive no more than 3 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation annually, but increased use of nuclear imaging and CT scans has increased radiation exposure. Myocardial perfusion imaging for heart disease delivers about 15 mSv per test, accounting for the largest single radiation exposure. The highest radiation exposures occurred among women and older adults in the study published in the “New England Journal of Medicine”.

“We don’t want to scare people and have them refuse necessary procedures, but physicians and patients need to be aware that radiation is not benign,” states Fazel. 80% of radiation exposures occured among non-hospitalized patients, with CT scans and nuclear imaging comprising three-fourths of radiation exposure.

News source: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20090826/too-much-radiation-from-medical-imaging

Research from the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, Israel shows that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduces the risk of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women. The study indicates a reduction of risk by more than half in women taking combined estrogen-progestin oral pills.

The study adjusted for demographics, aspirin and statin use, sports activity, family history of colorectal cancer, and vegetable consumption. Women who took aspirin or played sports did not demonstrate a risk reduction. Researchers caution that further study is necessary to understand the causes for such differences.

The study, published in the online “Journal of Clinical Oncology”compared the self-reported use of HRT from 2,460 peri/postmenopausal women among 2,648 patients with colorectal cancer and 2,566 controls. Results showed a 63 percent relative reduction in risk of colorectal cancer after adjustment for other known risk factors.

News source: http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Endocrinology/Hormone-Replacement-May-Lower-Colorectal-Cancer-Ri/ArticleNewsFeed/Article/detail/621692?contextCategoryId=40133