" The procedure, called a computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography, is meant to reduce complications because it can see inside the heart and its arteries without invading the body."

" But it gives a high dose of radiation, enough to cause cancer in vulnerable people, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association."

" "The same amount of radiation appears to be more likely to cause cancer in woman than in men," Dr. Andrew Einstein, cardiologist at Columbia University Medical Center who led the study, said in a telephone interview."

" "A second difference between women and men is the risk of breast cancer. The heart sits in the chest right behind the breasts so the breasts end up being irradiated.""

" Younger people are more at risk in part because it can take years for cancer to develop after radiation damage, Einstein said."

" The researchers found that a 20-year-old woman had a 1 in 143 lifetime risk of developing cancer from one of the scans. An 80-year-old man would have a 1 in 3,261 risk, they found."

" A 60-year-old woman would have a 1 in 715 risk of cancer while a 60-year-old man would have a 1 in 1,911 risk."

" The CT angiography is sometimes used in emergency rooms when someone comes in with chest pain and doctors need to assess quickly whether a heart attack is likely, Einstein said. He said 6 million patients come into U.S. emergency rooms alone with chest pain every year."

" "We are still trying to find out what the role of CT coronary angiography
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