18F-FDG PET/CT Did Not Increase the Risk of Cataract Occurrence in Oncology Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

This study aimed to evaluate the risk of cataract formation associated with radiation exposure from 18F-FDG PET/CT in oncology patients, using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The exposed group (Group E) consisted of oncology patients receiving 18F-FDG PET/CT within the first year of a cancer diagnosis. The comparison group (Group C) included subjects who had never been exposed to 18F-FDG PET/CT radiation and were propensity score-matched by date of enrolment, age, sex, cancer type, associated comorbidities, and CT utilization. Multiple Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of cataract risk due to radiation exposure, while adjusting for potential confounding factors. A total of 703 patients and 1406 matched subjects were in Groups E and C, respectively. The incidence of cataract formation was not significantly higher among subjects in Group E (adjusted HR = 1.264; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.845-1.891). Our results revealed that 18F-FDG PET/CT was not a significant risk factor for developing cataracts in oncology patients.