The major problem with CT scans is that they expose patients to a large amount of ionizing radiation, which is known to cause cancer.

In fact, one chest CT scan exposes a patient to the same amount of ionizing radiation as 100 chest X-rays.

Many studies have found an increase in cancer rates due to excess exposure to ionizing radiation from CT scans.

After nearly 10 years of follow-up, an Australian study found a 24 percent increase in cancer risk for CT-exposed versus unexposed patients, as reported in the British Medical Journal.

The authors of the study reported a dose-response relation, which means that the more CT scans a patient received, the greater his or her cancer risk.

Even more worrisome is the fact that the risk increased at younger ages, when the body is more vulnerable to ionizing radiation.