Analysis of Relationship between Reason for Frequent Pediatric CT Examinations and Brain Tumor Incidence

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K07765
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: Nippon Bunri University (2021); Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences (2018-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Kai Michiaki 日本文理大学, 新学部設置準備室, 教授 (10185697)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小野 孝二 東京医療保健大学, 看護学部, 教授 (10611171) ; 宮嵜 治 国立研究開発法人国立成育医療研究センター, 放射線診療部, 部長 (80278019)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: CT検査 / 放射線被ばく / 脳腫瘍 / 検査理由

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pediatric CT scans are essential for the diagnosis of disease, but there is no clear indication that there are confounding factors in epidemiologic studies reporting that radiation exposure associated with CT scans increases brain tumor risk. This study analyzes the reasons for the increase in the number of CT examinations by analyzing 15 years of radiology reports and how this affects the suspected brain tumor risk. The trend toward an increase in the number of examinations with surgery identified in this study is significant and may miss confounding factors that underlie surgery. In addition, the number of non-head examinations was found to affect the number of head examinations, suggesting the possibility of confounding by examinations performed because of suspected non-head disease.

Free Research Field

放射線防護・リスク

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

比較的高線量の放射線被ばくががんリスクを増加させることは確立した知見である。近年のCT検査利用の増大を受けて小児被ばくのリスクの懸念を示す疫学調査結果が報告されている。これらの疫学調査の妥当性を検証するためには、CT検査数が増える理由を明らかにし、それがリスクに交絡している可能性を調べること、一方で、検査の必要性からCT検査数増加のリスクとベネフィットを議論していくための基礎情報を提供する研究である。