The Estimation of Radiation-Induced Cancer Risk and Mortality from Digital Radiography in Selected Northeastern Libyan Hospitals

Diagnostic X-ray imaging is a fundamental modality for the clinical identification of patient health issues; however, it inherently involves increased exposure to ionizing radiation, which contributes to a patient's cumulative radiation dose. The primary aim of this study was to calculate cancer risk in digital diagnostic imaging using X-rays across three hospitals in northeast Libya. Specifically, the study calculated incidence and mortality cancer risks for adult patients undergoing three common radiographic examinations: chest PA, cervical spine LAT, and lumbar spine AP. A dataset comprising 272 adult male and female patients in the three identified hospitals, divided as follows: the first hospital (Hospital 1) had 99 patients, the second hospital (Hospital 2) had 91 patients, and the third hospital (Hospital 3) had 82 patients categorized into three age groups (20-40, 41-60, and 61-80 years), was analyzed to evaluate radiation dose using the CALDose_X software packages. The results showed that hospitalized patients in Hospital 3 showed a lower risk of cancer for all types of tests compared to patients in Hospitals 1 and 2. The results underscore the necessity for enhanced awareness of radiation-associated risks and the implementation of effective mitigation strategies.