Radiation in Medicine

There are countless areas where the power of radiation and nuclear techniques has been
harnessed for the benefit of mankind, not only in medicine, but also in industry,
agriculture and other fields of science and technology. The benefits to patients in terms of
lives saved through improved medical diagnosis and treatment techniques are countless
and the well-trained and controlled use of radiation has become a key part of modern
medical treatment, especially for certain forms of cancer.

Today, medical imaging helps to detect and diagnose disease in its earliest stages. It
enables physicians to determine the most appropriate and effective care where,
previously, exploratory surgery was necessary to discover the cause of symptoms or the
nature of a disease.

From replacing exploratory cardiac catheterization with a CT scan to discovering a polyp

before it becomes cancerous or receiving radiotherapy that allows the patient to lead a
relatively normal life without surgery, peer-reviewed research shows that these medical
techniques not only improve health outcomes and save lives, but also may help reduce
health care costs and drive down spending.

Although radiation carries risk as well as providing beneficial effects, its overall
contribution is positive and, from a medical point of view, less harmful than exploratory
surgery.