Updated Estimates of Radiation Risk for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: Implications for Cardiology Practice

At a glance

Type of study

Narrative review

Who was studied

Patients, General population, Interventional cardiologists, Electrophysiologists

Where

United States

Topics

Cancer riskCardiovascular diseasePatient doseDose reduction techniquesDNA and cellular effects

Summary based on

the full text

What it found

• Recalculated attributable cancer risk from US diagnostic radiation rises from 0.9% to 4.1% with current exposure and 8.2% with updated risk estimates; adding cardiovascular risk, combined additional risk approaches at least 10%.

  Key figures: 4.1%; 8.2%; at least 10%

• Per capita US medical radiation exposure rose from 0.50 mSv (1996) to 2.29 mSv (2016), down from 3.0 mSv in 2006.

  Key figures: 0.50 mSv (1996); 3.0 mSv (2006); 2.29 mSv (2016)

• A meta-analysis of 93 studies cited by the authors found cardiovascular disease risk from low doses similar in scope to cancer risk.

  Key figures: 93 studies

• Cancer risk from low-dose radiation estimated by international bodies has doubled over 20 years; evidence supports the linear no-threshold model, including a pooled study of over 300,000 monitored workers.

  Key figures: >300,000 workers; >10 million person-years

• An ongoing Italian study is recruiting over 500 cath lab professionals to assess early biomarkers of atherosclerotic, neurodegenerative and cancer risk.

  Key figures: >500 cath lab professionals

Limits to keep in mind

Narrative review with simple extrapolated risk calculations based on population dose and published risk coefficients rather than new data; focused on patient and population burden, with occupational exposure discussed only briefly.

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