Hi all. Apologies if this has been discussed before.
My husband has been a year on imatinib. He's had abdominal pain which comes and goes, but which can be very uncomfortable. Tomorrow he's due to have a CT scan on his abdomen and pelvis. However he's worried about about the effect the radiation might have on his CML... eg. will it aggravate it in some way?! Does anyone have any thoughts which might allay his fears?
Thank you! Lucy
Hi Lucy,
Your husband has nothing more to worry about having a CT scan as a CML patient than one when he didn’t have CML.
A CML patient is at no more risk than anyone else from a CT scan. A CT scanner does emit quite a lot more radiation than an x-ray, and in theory can cause genetic mutations but it is exceedingly rare.
David.
As someone who has referral from haematologist to abdominal CT scan in order to clarify location of possible gallstone/polyp in gallbladder (which causes symptoms such as occasional right side abdominal pain and elevated lipase levels) - what do I do if I am strongly against CT scans? Me myself, like several other people here, link my CML diagnosis to exposure to too many CT scans few years before CML diagnosis... Is it better to replace it to MRI scan? I am still going to gastroenterologist to speak about my concerns.
Some additional information:
https://cllsociety.org/2021/09/the-cumulative-risk-of-multiple-ct-scans-...
Prior to my CML diagnosis, I had a series of CT-scans for an abdomen issue (non-cancer). Several years later I was diagnosed with advanced CML.
Do I believe the CT-scans caused my CML. Perhaps. My immune system was already weak at the time due to very low vitamin D and other immune weakness due to improper nutrition which I have long since corrected.
CT-scans are a vital tool in health care. But they are not without risk. If an MRI can achieve the same diagnostic quality, I personally would opt for an MRI. But sometimes a CT-scan is the best and only way to image a condition. If that is my only choice, I would have the CT-scan, but only one.
