Full-body MRIs: Peace of mind for some, "bane of my existence" for others
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Depending on whom you ask, a full-body MRI is either an early-detection breakthrough or an unnecessary procedure that harms more than helps.
Why it matters: Scans from companies like Prenuvo and Ezra have become a popular health splurge for adults focused on longevity.
- That's largely thanks to wellness influencers, celebrity endorsements and a distrust of the conventional medical system.
By the numbers: Prenuvo has completed 50,000 scans since December — and 150,000 total since 2018, CEO Andrew Lacy tells Axios.
What they found: Prenuvo scans spotted cancer in 2.2% of mostly asymptomatic patients, according to an ongoing study conducted by the MRI company and presented at an American Association for Cancer Research conference in April.
- In the study, which included 1,011 patients in Canada in the early findings, roughly half of the biopsies prompted by scan findings turned out to reveal cancer.
Between the lines: Just because a scan detected cancer, that doesn't mean the cancer was aggressive or that the detection extended someone's lifespan.
- In the study, two breast cancer cases were not detected by a whole-body MRI.
What we're hearing: Full-body scans are "the bane of my existence," says oncologist Marleen Meyers, director of NYU Langone's survivorship program at the Perlmutter Cancer Center.
- She says that most findings from full-body MRIs are false positives or benign, but "the knowledge, the stress and fact you start treatment then upends your life."
- Not to mention that follow-up tests can be costly, invasive and introduce significant radiation exposure, she tells Axios.
- "Studies with these scans so far have not shown any improved survival," she says.
Yes, but: Collecting enough data to provide evidence that the tests improve survival would probably take decades, says Lacy, the Prenuvo CEO. He sees a need for these scans, which also look for issues including aneurysms and metabolic disorders, now.
- He cites research from NORC that only 14% of cancers are detected through standard screenings — the rest are found when symptoms occur or during unrelated medical visits.
- He argues that full-body scans could help find more cancers early, "when treatment is most effective."
Zoom in: Although full-body scan "success" stories can have a confirmation bias (you detect something, you treat it, but you don't know if things would've been fine otherwise), you can understand why Andrea Schaffer is pro-Prenuvo after her experience.
- Encouraged by wellness podcaster Dave Asprey, Schaffer tells Axios that she shelled out $2,199 (she had a $300 discount code) for a "baseline" scan, as a 44th birthday gift for herself in 2023. "As an oncology nutrition consultant, I thought, well, you gotta walk the walk and get your butt in there and do it."
The scan found something: A brain tumor. Follow-up tests confirmed it was cancerous, and Schaffer realized that her loss of smell, which she assumed was caused by COVID, was likely connected to the mass in her brain.
- A couple of months later, she got surgery to successfully remove the tumor.
- It hasn't returned. Schaffer says she's still classified as "no evidence of disease." And she can smell again.
Reality check: A full-body MRI — which can range from $499 to $4,500 — isn't accessible for most.
- Meyers recommends that instead of full-body scans, patients with a known cancer history or specific symptoms get directed screenings.
The bottom line: Patients understandably want to detect health issues as early as possible, but the hype could be outpacing the science when it comes to full-body scans.
