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I Have Had About 7 Or 8 MSv Worth Of
Question: I have had about 7 or 8 mSv worth of radiation from medical imaging a few months back. Should I be concerned with a cancer risk or am I safe? Very worried
Brief Answer:
Not too concerning
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. 7 to 8 mSv would be around the dose of radiation you would get from a CT scan. To put this in perspective, everyone is exposed to radiation every day, and on average are exposed to about 3 mSv a year. So while the increased radiation does increase your risk for cancer, the overall risk is still very low, and studies have shown that the risk of getting cancer from one CT scan is about 1 in 2000. So while I would not get another CT scan unless you absolutely needed it, it is very likely you will not have any cancer from this exposure you have already had.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Not too concerning
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. 7 to 8 mSv would be around the dose of radiation you would get from a CT scan. To put this in perspective, everyone is exposed to radiation every day, and on average are exposed to about 3 mSv a year. So while the increased radiation does increase your risk for cancer, the overall risk is still very low, and studies have shown that the risk of getting cancer from one CT scan is about 1 in 2000. So while I would not get another CT scan unless you absolutely needed it, it is very likely you will not have any cancer from this exposure you have already had.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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