Question: Hello. I am a 41 years old woman. When I was about 23 I was at the hospital due to a possible pulmonary emobolus. It turned out to be Pleuritis. The doctors did a ct chest angiography on me. I was at no point given a choise or told about risks etc, and they did it even though my arterial blood values were showing no sign of an embolus. Now my cousin, 42 years old, a superhealthy woman, never smoked etc, has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. This awoke my worry regarding that ct i had years ago. I have read all the studies and articles written about this, and I am now in such despear. I have to girls, age 5 and 2, and I am scared to death of leaving their lives prematurely. I now realise that the ct chest angiography I had ,deliver the highest dose a medical scan can deliver. Far exceeding any radiation rcomandation. It clearly says, in several of these studies, that the younger you are when getting a ct pulmonary angiography, the higher the risk of getting cancer later, due to the time you will live. If you are a woman you have a higher risk of getting cancer after this type of scan, because of breast and lung tissue factors. Cancer risk is increased with acute effective radiation doses ranging from 10-50 mSV, and I was scanned repeatedly for 20 minutes. I can only imagine all the DNA damage done. It feels so unfair. I had done it on purpose, exposed my self, but this was forced on me. I can`t sleep at night, I am falling apart. I do not know how to deal with this. Should I get regular cancer checks of lungs and breasts? I will then again expose my self to even more radiation, even though low dose ct of lungs are a lot better, they will ad to my accumulative radiation load. Please advice what I can do to continue my life, and also what I can do to try and be ahead of any cancer that might arise. I feel so helpless and in despear. I am now a person with high cancer risk? I cry and grieve over this develish scan I had. What should I do? Wait and see if I get cancer or screen my self and also increase the radiaton load on my already injured cells? If my english is bad I appology, I am from Norway. Kind reagards XXXXX

Thank you so much for your answer. Please forgive me for further asking. When researchers write that a ct chest angiogram done in early twenties in a female can Cause cancer in 1/100 women, is this not a terrible high risk? Do you in your work see cancers that were suspected to be medical radiation induced? Say lung or breast cancer because of previous chest lung ct? Except for examining my breasts, how can I keep an eye on my lungs? Thank you again, and forgive my questions. I am just so scared.
Kind regards

Hello! Thank you again! When I read that a chest ct angiogram delivers a dose that equals 442 chest xrays to the breasts , and 771 chest xrays to the lungs, this sounds so terrible! How can that possible not initiate something awful? Are there particualar parts of the lungs that will be at most risk? I again apology for all these qestions, but as you understand , it is eating me alive this worry. And the panic that I can do nothing to undo it all.
With the science of today, are there biological markers that can be detected in a bloodsample or other type of sample, that can catch lungcancer early?
This is my last and third post. I thank you for your time and replies.
Kind regards

If I give you a short overview, in which risk group am I regarding lung cancer?
I had this ct angiogram in my early 20's.
I have been exposed to passive smoking from restaurants, friends.
I was an occasional social smoker from 24 to 34 because I don't drink alcohol. ( It was quite shallow inhalation)
I did a few joints now and then one year.
I have a cousin with lung cancer , aged only 42.
Thank you again for your time.