Nationwide case-control study of risk of childhood brain tumors after exposure to CT radiation in Finland

A nationwide population-based case-control study in Finland investigated the risk of childhood brain tumors following exposure to radiation from computed tomography imaging. After exclusion of participants with cancer predisposition syndromes and/or previous malignancies, 1067 brain tumors were diagnosed in children aged 0-15 years, 58% of which were gliomas. These patients were 1:3 matched for age and sex to participants without brain tumors (n=3200). Among eligible participants, nine cases (1%) and ten controls (0.4%) had undergone one or more head/neck CT scans, with a mean cumulative brain dose of 22 mGy. Participants who had undergone one or more head/neck CTs had a higher risk of developing brain tumors compared to unexposed individuals (OR 2.84; 95% CI 1.12-7.19). The authors conclude that these results suggest a positive association between head/neck CT imaging and the risk of childhood brain tumors (visual abstract).