“If your physician orders a computed tomography (CT) scan, X-ray, or other MM diagnostic procedure involving radiation, optimize your dosing of antioxidant supplements as soon as you are scheduled.”
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a blood cancer where, according to the ACS, 90% of patients experience bone damage during their MM experience. This means that the average MM patient will undergo radiation as a therapy but also may undergo radiation for MM diagnostic testing- computed tomography (CT), x-rays, etc.
Multiple myeloma patients need to understand the risks and rewards involved with all of the radiation they will absorb from their MM diagnostic testing. But the risk from this radiation, the concern on the part of the average MM patient, is not simply about one test, one dose.
I regret not knowing how much ionizing radiation I underwent from my MM diagnosis in early 1994 through the completion of my conventional multiple myeloma treatments and imaging scans at the end of 1997.
I wish I knew then what I know now.
The first article linked below talks about cancer patients wanting more information from their doctors about the cancer risk from a CT scan.
The second article linked below talks about how patients overestimate the benefits (rewards) of medical therapies and underestimate the harms (risks).
If you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma you will probably face many, perhaps dozens, of doses of radiation during your initial therapy and follow-up diagnostics. Each dose will increase your risk of cancer.
I had dozens of x-rays and CT scans in addition to the three different sessions of radiation for therapeutic purposes.
So the question that you should be asking your doctor is about your lifetime risk of cancer that may occur from your lifetime doses of therapeutic radiation, CT or other MM diagnostic imaging tests in addition to any other forms of radiation.
I am both a multiple myeloma survivor and MM cancer coach. To learn more about non-toxic therapies to reduce your risks from radiation or integrative therapies to enhance your conventional chemo or radiation, scroll down the page, post a question or a comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
thank you,
David Emerson
- MM survivor
- MM Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
“Adults in Taiwan exposed to radiation from CT scans demonstrated increased risk for thyroid cancer and leukemia, according to results of a nested case-control study published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.
Researchers also observed a dose-response association for thyroid cancer, leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma among those aged 45 years and younger…”
Research Supports Nutrient Shields Against Ionizing Radiation
“In hospitals and doctors’ offices around the country, millions of innocent patients are unknowingly exposed to excessive radiation. The main culprit is the computed tomography (CT) scan which exposes patients to the equivalent amount of radiation received by atomic bomb survivors in the low-dose range.1 …
If your physician orders a CT scan, X-ray, or other diagnostic procedure involving radiation, optimize your dosing of antioxidant supplements as soon as you are scheduled. There are several classes of nutrients that have been studied for their radioprotective capabilities….”
“These findings demonstrate that resveratrol can protect HSCs from radiation at least in part via activation of Sirt1. Therefore, resveratrol has the potential to be used as an effective therapeutic agent to ameliorate TBI-induced long-term BM injury…”
“Some cancer patients would like more information on the health risks of their radiology tests, a new study found…
The participants were generally grateful for the benefits that the imaging tests provide but were concerned about the cumulative risks of having several scans. They would have liked their doctors to explain in more detail which tests were being ordered, when, and their associated risks…
Some study participants wanted to know the rationale for ordering some tests versus alternatives.”
“For example, a study published in 2012 in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology asked patients to estimate the risks associated with a CT scan. A single CT scan exposes a patient to the same amount of radiation as 300 chest X-rays, and carries with it a 1-in-2,000 chance of inducing a fatal cancer. More than 40 percent of patients underestimated a CT’s radiation dose, and more than 60 percent of patients underestimated the risk of cancer from a CT scan…”
“If the article linked below is accurate and “A single CT scan carries with it a 1-in-2,000 chance of inducing a fatal cancer,” I’d say my risk of a treatment related cancer is pretty high….”
