EPI-CT project on possible effects of CT scans (or TACs) in children premiere web

The new website of EPI-CT study is already working and can be accessed clicking in the following address: http://epi-ct.iarc.fr/. In the website you will find information on the scope, objectives, organization and also about the epidemiological aspects and dose estimation which are crucial for the study.

The EPI-CT project was launched in February 2011, which aims to determine potential health effects of exposure of children and adolescents to ionizing radiation during CT scans. Researchers from CREAL in Barcelona (Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology) are implementing the project EPI-CT nationwide.

This international study is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-International Agency for Research in Cancer) from the WHO. The main goal is to unite those cohort studies that are ongoing in Europe (France and UK) and set up additional studies in 7 European countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Netherlands and Sweden), creating one of the largest pediatric cohort of children in Europe, with a cohort size around 1,095,000 in the next 10 years.

The EPI-CT Spanish cohort is led by Dr. Elisabeth Cardis, head of the radiation program in CREAL Barcelona and coordinated by CREAL researcher Magda Bosch Basea.

The project is being implemented in Catalonia, Comunitat Valenciana, Murcia and Euskadi (although we would like to expand it to other regions). Nowadays the following hospitals are participating in the project: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona,
Hospital Parc Taulí, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Pau, Hospital Vall d’Hebron, Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Hospital Joan XXIII, Hospital La Fe, Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Hospital Dr. Peset, Hospital General de Alicante, Hospital Clínico de Valencia, Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Hospital Cruces.

For this study we need to gather as many participants as possible to ensure a sample size to detect risks of small magnitude. To define this cohort the collaboration of the Spanish health centers is needed.

Diagnostic radiology is an indispensable element in modern medicine. The increasing use of diagnostic techniques of high-dose X-rays (mainly computed tomography, CT) in children and adolescents has generated some concerns in the field of radiation protection and the public health because children are more sensitive to radiation effects on health than adults.

The study received substantial financial support from the Seventh Framework Program of the European Commission.