A doctor is calling for a ‘pause’ on a common medical test given to millions of people each year after research found it could be contributing to America’s cancer crisis.
Computerized tomography (CT) scans can be life-saving tests, used to diagnose and monitor diseases like cancer and bone injuries, as well as to assist in surgeries and evaluate the effectiveness of certain treatments.
However, experts say they are sometimes overprescribed and performed unnecessarily, potentially because of money-making opportunities for the hospitals, as the tests are very expensive (costing as much as $6,800 per scan), or out of doctors’ fears of missing a diagnosis and being sued. Continue reading