China's medical experts warn about marketing of regular CT scan check-ups

by Michael Woodhead
Medical experts have warned Chinese consumers to reject the marketing hype for the latest craze of having six monthly health check-ups using PET-CT scanners.
Many medical clinics are "jumping on the bandwagon" and using advertising to promote the inappropriate and dangerous use of high end scanners, say radiotherapy specialists at leading hospitals.
Adverts urge consumers to have six monthly CT scans, claiming the advanced technology will detect fast-growing tumours that would escape detection by other health checks or from symptoms alone, accordingto a report in the People's Daily.
However, Dr Lin Hongwei, a cancer specialist at Beijing's Qinhua University Changgeng Hospital said the promotion of PET-CT scan was inappropriate and potentially harmful. He said PET-CT scans delivered a high dose of radiation and should only be used in monitoring existing tumours and for detetion of certain difficult tumours. There was no role for CT scanning in screening of the general population, and anyusch ue was in contravention of current guidelines, he warned.
"The use of expensive PET-CT scans for regular check ups is inappropriate, it is a waste of resources and also can do harm to the patient," he said.

Electromagnetic radiation not linked to miscarriage - Guangdong study

by Michael Woodhead
Exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields does not seem to increase miscarriage risk, a Guangdong study has suggested.
Dr Wang Qiang and co-researchers from the Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, studied pregnancy outcomes among women in two towns in the Pearl Delta region with densely distributed power supply constructions. From 2010 to 2012, 413 women in the region who were at approximately 8 weeks of gestation or who planned to have a baby within one year were selected as candidate subjects. Exposure to magnetic fields was estimated by measurements at their front doors and in the alley in front of the subjects’ houses
The average residential exposure to magnetic fields was 0.099 µT. Miscarriage risk was found to be significantly associated with maximum levels of exposure to magnetic fields in alleys. After adjustment, the risk of maximum alley exposure to magnetic fields for miscarriage was 72% higher. However, No significantly increased risk of miscarriage was seen with the average front-door exposure to magnetic fields.,
The researchers said that although the miscarriage incidence was shown to be positively associated with the maximum alley magnetic field exposure, the association between miscarriage risk and the exposure to magnetic fields was not confirmed in the study. They noted that the intensities of exposure were relatively low. The average exposure level was only approximately 2 times higher than that of the general public (0.05μT). Among all 413 pregnant women, only 34 subjects (8.2%) were exposed to MFs above 0.4µT.
“We can’t confirm 50 Hz MF as one of the possible risks of miscarriage,” they conclude.
Source: PLOS One

X-rays help diagnose and monitor A (H7N9) influenza

X-rays are an effective way of diagnosing novel influenza A (H7N9) and monitoring the response of the viral infection to treatment according to radiologists in Shanghai.
In a case series of eight patients who had the infection, Dr Shi Yuxin and colleagues at the Department of Radiology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, found that bedside chest radiography was helpful for evaluating patients with severe clinical symptoms of H7N9 influenza and for follow-up evaluation.
They found the most common imaging findings were a mixture of ground glass opacity and consolidation, and pleural effusion was common. Most cases of novel H7N9 influenza had a poor short-time treatment response, and seemed to have either rapid progressive radiographic deterioration or fluctuating radiographic changes.
“The distribution, rapid progression of fluctuations of pneumonia, and consolidations may help differentiate H7N9 infection from other causes of pneumonia,” the radiologists said.
Full study: Chinese Medical Journal

Employment X-ray checks pose cancer risk to college graduates

The routine X-rays demanded by employmers mean that jobseekers are exposed to high levels of radiation

As the country's college graduates seek bright futures with rigorous job hunts, they invite a clear danger to their health when the offers come rolling in, as getting interviews means undergoing more X-ray examinations, according to a new report.
Zhang Ming, a student from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), has been to four hospitals to have physical exams in a month.
"The employment situation is not good this year. When there is a chance of being recruited by a company, I am very happy," Zhang said. He expects to get more offers from companies, and choose one he likes the best.
However, to be eligible for these offers, Zhang has to face the physical exams required by different employers, and he cannot use one physical exam report with all his potential employers.
Companies use their own designated hospitals, and before the last round of interviews, Zhang has to take a specific physical exam, after which he might get an offer.
Zhang had two physical exams within three days in November, and on December 7 and 12, he underwent two more exams, each costing him half a day. In addition to fasting for blood tests, he had to get X-rays taken at each visit.
Another SUFE student surnamed Wang who had undergone two physical exams including X-rays said, "We are asked to finish the physical exams before the final interviews, otherwise we are not allowed to participate in the interviews."
Wang, also frustrated, added, "We want to get our offers and compare them with each other and then make a choice based on the salaries and details of the employers."
Tan Yuxu, a SUFE employee who works on student employment, said that "90 percent of SUFE graduate students received two offers, and many have received more than three offers."
Tan is happy to see students get many offers, but she also is worried about how the X-rays will influence their health. "Commonly, a person gets X-rays once a year, and they are having so many in a short time."
Liu Shiyuan, a professor from the Chinese Society of Radiology (CSR), said that frequent X-rays can impact human health. "If they are exposed to too many X-rays, the radiation can cause cancer and might influence their offspring."
Liu said that a system should be established that allows for physical exam reports documented by qualified hospitals and physical examination centers to be accepted by all employers, and then a job seeker could submit copies of the physical exam report to potential employers.
Employers argued that the current system, wherein candidates accept physical exams at designated hospitals, avoids fake physical reports and that they have the right to know whether candidates' health meets their demands.
Labor law expert Hong Guibin said that there were no definitive regulations on physical exams, and agreed that there should be a unified physical exam system that considers job seekers' health and saving costs.
Source: Shanghai Morning Post

Wuhan hospitals ban routine X-rays to curb radiation risk

Usage rate of X-rays in China is 300 times that seen in the UK

Several hospitals in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, have canceled chest X-ray examinations due to the possibility of physical harm, according to a report from Changjiang Daily on Tuesday.
Chest X-rays are a common medical examination method; however they can also damage human bodies due to excessive exposure to radiation. According to chinanews.com, the utilisation rate of chest X-ray examinations is 61.8 percent in China, more than 300 times of that of Britain, which is only 0.2%. Moreover, this examination has already been sharply curtailed in most developed countries including the US and Japan.
Liu Junfang, chief of the radiological department of Zhongnan Hospital of the University of Wuhan, said that excessive radiation exposure would harm young children, teenagers, and cause diseases including cancer.
Since 2006, the Wuhan Department of Health has canceled X-rays as part of the regular physical examination for students in middle schools and elementary schools.
Some hospitals in the city also canceled the examination, or stopped recommending the examination to minors six years ago.
Furthermore, experts also suggested that X-ray checks for pregnant women and women with intrauterine devices should also be canceled.
However, Wang Yimin, director of the radiological department of Wuhan PLA 161 Hospital, said the safety level of a chest X-ray examination was still within the national regulations, and some patients choose it due to the low cost.
Source: CRI