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CT scans and many medical test identified as the cause for increase in the risk of Cancer.

When you go to the emergency room, you want answers -- and you want them fast.

Many doctors will simply check a box to order a CT scan so that a patient does not feel that he or she is being ignored, but that practice may have some serious risks.

A New Hampshire teen was about to get a CT scan to test for kidney stones when a radiologist, Dr. Steven Birnbaum, discovered that the teen had already had 14 X-rays for the same problem.

Birnbaum said he was "horrified" at the cancer risk it posed.

After looking into the frequency of medical scans at two hospitals where he worked, Birnbaum discovered many cases of patients getting dangerous amounts of radiation from too many scans, including a woman who had 31 abdominal scans over a three-year period.

An article by KYW medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough suggests that doctors may be ordering these tests because of fears of malpractice suits.

ER doctors are in the top ten specialists most likely to be sued for malpractice, according to the Physicians Insurers Association of America.

Since most people believe medical tests like CT scans are the best way to find health problems, doctors often order them just to calm worried patients.

"Our society puts more weight on technology than on physical exams," said Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "In other words, why would you believe a doctor who only examines you when you can get an X-ray that can tell something for sure?"

The danger of putting too much trust in technology lies in the excessive radiation exposure patients are subjected to across their lives. According to an article by WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., the Food and Drug Administration is pushing for rules to restrict the radiation dose on common tests like CT scans. Currently, only mammograms are monitored.

More oversight may help regulate the tests, which are given to patients in almost half of the 116 million ER visits each year.

Source: The Associated Press