The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Radiation-Induced Cancer Risk in Zanjan, Iran

Background:The coronavirus resulted in a global pandemic and infected millions of people worldwide in 2019.The number of chest CT scans significantly increased due to the virus's effect on the upper respiratory tract.This retrospective cross-sectional analytic study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 effect on the number of chest CT scans and to estimate the probability of radiation-induced cancers as a result of the incremental number of scans in hospitals in Zanjan, Iran.Methods: This study included all chest CT scans performed during a three-month period before the pandemic (2019) and the pandemic (2020).In 2020, the scans were meticulously examined for COVID-19 signs, and relevant epidemiological and dosimetric factors were recorded to calculate the risk of radiation-induced cancer using the IRCP103. Results:The results reveal a four-fold increase in the number of scans in 2020, with 9095 scans compared to 2235 in 2019.Patients referred for a chest CT scan during the COVID-19 outbreak were significantly younger.Although the Dose-length Product (DLP) decreased in 2020, the anticipated number of new cases of radiation-induced cancers exhibited an approximately four-fold increase for different organs in the thorax region.Also, 55.6 % of CT scans were considered normal in 2020. Conclusion:The current study shows that the high probability of radiation-induced cancers should be considered the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.