Revealed! Mainstream Test CAUSING Childhood Cancers?

Childhood cancer is every parent’s worst fear.

And let me tell you… now that I’m a grandparent, seeing kids with cancer still hits me especially hard.

I simply can’t imagine the agony of watching the child you love suffer through everything that cancer brings—pain, fatigue, frequent infections, and anxiety.

Seeing them robbed of their vibrancy and innocence would be overwhelming. Then there’s the toll caused by the treatments themselves.

But what’s even more devastating than the disease itself? The fact that mainstream medicine is to blame for many of these blood cancers in children.

An alarming study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that thousands of childhood cancers could be dodged… just by avoiding ONE common procedure.

Have you ever gotten a medical imaging “just in case”?

You know, the CT scan for the headache or mild abdominal pain.

The chest X-ray for a mild cough.

These “just in case” medical images are often done for two reasons: to ensure your peace of mind, and to cover the doctor’s behind.

They are doled out so routinely that they seem harmless.

They’re not. Especially when it comes to children.

In a massive study that evaluated the imaging histories of 3.7 million children born over 20 years, researchers came to a bone-chilling conclusion:

Up to 10 percent of all blood cancers in children and adolescents may have been triggered by radiation from medical imaging tests like CT scans and X-rays.

That’s roughly 3,000 children total with leukemia and lymphoma.

The relationship was dose-dependent, meaning the higher the cumulative exposure, the greater the cancer risk.

The risk also varied by test.

CT scans, which are often used to detect tumors, injuries of the spinal cord and brain, and heart disease, were tied to the most significant risk. This makes sense since they deliver the greatest dose of radiation.

X-rays, often used to diagnose broken bones and pneumonia, carry much lower risks.

But keep in mind that the damage caused by radiation is cumulative. So even the lower radiation scans contribute to your overall exposure and risk.

While we are ALL at risk of damage caused by radiation exposure, children are particularly vulnerable because their rapidly dividing cells are extra sensitive to ionizing radiation damage.

If you find yourself needing to make a tough decision for a grandchild in your life, here are a few things to consider…

First, ask your doctor if the imaging is necessary. Sometimes monitoring symptoms for longer or ordering labs, such as a blood test or urinalysis, could give you the answers you need without any imaging.

If imaging is necessary, ask if non-ionizing imaging options—like MRIs, ultrasounds, or echocardiograms—could be used instead.

If you can’t avoid an X-ray or CT scan, here are a few ways to limit their risks:

1. Use a “pediatric dose” setting tailored to the child’s size.
2. Only scan the affected part of the body.
3. Don’t get more scans than necessary.
4. Utilize low-dose CT protocols when appropriate.

With pediatric imaging rates climbing and parents often unaware of cumulative radiation risks, the need for cautious imaging practices has never been greater.

There are times when the benefits of these tests outweigh their risks. But parents, grandparents, and doctors need to be aware of the dangers so they can make informed decisions.

P.S. Adults are at risk too—this cancer-causing test is ordered 62-million times a year!

View Sources

Smith-Bindman R, Alber SA, et al. Medical Imaging and Pediatric and Adolescent Hematologic Cancer Risk. N Engl J Med. 2025 Oct 2;393(13):1269-1278. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2502098.