A whole-body MRI is an imaging tool we use to screen your body for evidence of existing disease. The scan takes approximately 45 minutes (depending on how tall you are) and we evaluate your head, neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis for early signs of disease like tumors or cancer. MRI is an excellent tool, but you should be aware of the positives and negatives of this type of screening before deciding if it is right for you.
Example Whole-Body MRI image from a male patient
Positives of whole-body MRI screening:
1. It is able to screen your body for diseases like cancer that may not show any signs or symptoms early on.
2. Whole-body MRI screening is complementary to traditional screening techniques and supplementary for certain types of cancer that do not have routine screening tests such as pancreatic, ovarian, brain, or kidney tumors.
3. When whole-body MRI is repeated over time, we are able to track changes in your body and monitor any findings as you age to ensure they are not growing or changing.
4. Many patients express that they receive tremendous peace of mind with a normal whole-body MRI result.
Negatives of whole-body MRI screening:
1. MRI can be costly and time-consuming test. It is much faster and more affordable than it was even ten years ago, but the study length still limits some people from being able to have this test.
2. No screening test can ever give you 100% certainty. Whole-body MRI does have limitations in what it can detect and it does not replace screening testing as recommended by the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF). For example, this MRI will not see very small tumors that are a few millimeters in size. You will still need to have your mammogram, colonoscopy, pap smear, skin screening, lung cancer screening, or other testing as recommended by the USPSTF for your age, gender, and risk factors.
3. MRI may discover findings that require additional imaging or even biopsies that do not turn out to be cancer. Thankfully, this is a minority of the patients we see, but patients should understand this is a possibility.
In summary, the choice to have a whole-body MRI is a very personalized decision. I encourage people to consider these positives and negatives and discuss them with their families as they are deciding if this type of examination is right for them. As a physician who has been involved with whole-body MRI screening since 2016, I am confident that the benefits of screening far outweigh the negatives, and I encourage you to consider this article when making the decision about what is best for you and your family!
Normal brain MRI image from a 58 year old woman
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