Full-Body CT Scans May Boost Cancer Risk
Full-body CT scans use X-rays to create a 3-D image of a person's torso. That requires about 100 times as much radiation as a mammogram. Corbis hide caption
A CT Scan machine. Corbis hide caption
New research finds that even one "full-body" CT scan is likely to raise the risk that a person will die from cancer. But experts note the greatest increase in risk occurred in patients who underwent multiple scans -- which most people are unlikely to need. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.