A nationwide medical program expected to benefit a million Chinese women of target ages with discounted breast exams has been suspended after excess radiation was found in the equipment applied.

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Beijing Times reports Xu Guangwei, a leading domestic tumor expert and sponsor of the breast screening project, has drafted a scheme aimed at equipping another 210 hospitals with computed radiography (CR) devices used for the exams this year.

 

Xu said the exams will help diagnose breast cancer at an early stage, which is good for treatment, but usually ignored by people.

 

However, Xu's proposal will probably be refused because many radiographers oppose CR technology, fearing unexpected excess x-ray radiation.

 

Initiated in 2004, the project aimed to rein in the rising number of patients and deaths from breast cancer in China. However, the project only covered 30,526 people by the end of 2006. Less than 40 hospitals had the device equipped after dissenting voices became stronger and discouraged the government from installing more.

 

The director of the radioprotection department of the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lou Yun, is an expert who objected to the project. He said the organization doesn't oppose the checkups, but disagrees on the device used.

 

Lou revealed excess radiation during checkups by CR devices has been found universally at the city's hospitals and even at medical institutions rated excellent.

 

Some CR devices emit rays as much as seven to eight times of those from a traditional device. Lou worried it may further trigger the cancer in tested patients.

 

Besides sharing a general similarity with traditional X-ray film systems, the CR system bears additional imaging and computing systems that enable radiographers to adjust the definition of the checkup picture as simply as people do on PCs with image software.

 

It can also relieve radiographers of onerous work, since the digital storage system in the apparatus can avoid frequent film changing after every checkup.

 

However, the advantages would also be direct causes of over radiation, a leading expert with the radioprotection department of Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Du Guosheng, said.

 

Du explained the storage system in the CR device mainly depends on an IP board. An excess charge may happen if the board becomes old while kept unchanged. The old board will leads to unclear images, which can lead to radiographers blindly increasing the ray dosages for better definition, Du said.

 

According to the department, most CR devices in Beijing hospitals are operated with outdated IP boards.

 

Inadequate supervision on the CR device is another worry of experts. Lou Yun said nearly all municipal hospitals failed to implement regulations on the quality control and the use of the device.

 

The report said the traditional X-ray film system is still widely recognized in breast checkups around the world. Few brands of CR devices have permits to enter the medical market, it added.

 

(CRI February 24, 2007)