In plain language
In a small non-randomized pilot of 19 interventional physicians, an oral antioxidant taken before a fluoroscopy workday was associated with smaller rises in blood DNA-repair and inflammation gene markers. These are short-term biomarkers, not proof of reduced cancer or other health risk.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Original research, Laboratory or biomarker study
- Who was studied
- Interventional radiologists, Vascular surgeons, Other physicians
- Size
- n = 19 physicians
- Topics
- DNA and cellular effects
- Summary based on
- the full text
What it found
In untreated physicians, DNA damage-repair and inflammation biomarkers rose significantly over a fluoroscopy workday, while no biomarker changed significantly in the antioxidant group.
Key figures: P53 P = 0.006; NF-κB P = 0.002; COX4i1 P = 0.004 (untreated group)
Post-exposure P53 increase was 78% higher in untreated than antioxidant-treated physicians.
Key figures: 78% higher, P = 0.024
NF-κB (inflammation marker) increase was smaller with antioxidant premedication.
Key figures: 18 ± 8% versus 60 ± 15%, P = 0.020
Mitochondrial marker COX4i1 increase was 46% higher in the untreated group; STAT3 difference was not significant.
Key figures: COX4i1 46% higher, P = 0.028; STAT3 54% higher, P = 0.066
Procedural fluoroscopic exposures were similar between groups, but no individual operator dosimetry was available.
Key figures: Cumulative air kerma on study day 1291.3 vs 1283.8 mGy, P = 0.993
Limits to keep in mind
Small non-randomized pilot (19 analysed), single day, participants unblinded, no individual dosimetry, baseline NF-κB differed between groups, and outcomes are surrogate mRNA biomarkers rather than DNA damage or health outcomes.
Related research summaries
- Radiation-Induced DNA Damage in Operators Performing Endovascular Aortic Repair (2017, Laboratory or biomarker study)
- Occupational Radiation Exposure and Thyroid Nodules in Healthcare Workers: A Review (2025, Narrative review)
- Systematic review on radiation-induced DNA damage and cancer risk in endovascular operators (2025, Systematic review)
- Brain Tumors, Interventionists, and Radiation: How Real Is the Risk? (2016, Narrative review)
- Somatic DNA damage in interventional cardiologists: a case-control study (2005, Case-control study)
How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the full text of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.