While some people believed that computerized tomography (CT) scans are a necessity in order to diagnose possible health conditions, the machine could be leading to cancer.

According to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, CT medical scans account for 29,000 cases of cancer every year in the U.S. that result in 14,5000 deaths. The journal also published another study from the University of California- San Francisco that suggested there may actually be a greater number of cancer cases related to the scan.

Preliminary research found that the age of the patient contributes to their cancer risk, as the younger they are, the longer time their bodies have to develop the disease.

The researchers were able to determine that a 3-year-old female having an abdominal CT scan had a one in 500 chance of developing cancer as a result of the screening. This risk decreases to one in 1,000 when a patient is 30 and three in 10,000 by the time a patient reaches 70.

The University of California study found that radiation exposure could actually lead to a four to 13 times more likely occurrence than the first study suggests.