Evaluation of the risk of radiation exposure from new 18FDG PET/CT plans versus conventional X-ray plans in patients with pediatric cancers.

Objective Unnecessary radiological examination should be avoided, particularly for children, who are more vulnerable to radiation than adults. Replacement of X-ray examination with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a potential option for reduction of radiation exposure, and thus improvement in the quality of life (QOL) of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate new plans integrating 18FDG PET/CT versus current conventional imaging (CI) plans for patients with pediatric cancers. The effects of radiation exposure from the two kinds of plans were compared using shortening of the average life expectancy as an index, and the related findings and effects of radiation exposure are discussed.