Scan Medical Insurance

How good are whole body scans?

I have seen adverts on TV for a company called lifescan. How good are these scans, can they detect cancer, too much fat, problems with bones?

Public Comments

1. They are good for some. Sometimes they do not pick up everything. No test is 100%. Just keep following up with the Dr's and "Ask Questions". Good Luck.
2. My family doctor commented that an MRI is as useful as the experience of the person who reads it. I had the first full body scan [for medical reasons] some years ago and it was passed around the specialists in a major hospital for comment. I doubt if these companies can match that. [My second was this year and I nearly had a heart attack when they said they had found something, which turned out to be a harmless cyst.]
3. They are absolutely 100% excellent. They detect any cancer or tumor, etc. I'm an MRI tech and an MRI scan takes pictures (images) of the place the person has an issue there. For example, headaches!! The doctors order an MRI, CT scan. Any of those. The put you in a machine and they take pictures of the whole body or simply jus legs, or head or the abdomen and more. And yes they detect problem with the bones, like they can see if you have fractured a bone or possibly an infection. Too much fat yes, just like a tumor. :)
4. CT or PET scans of body for no reason does not make sense. You hare getting high dose of xrays and exposure to contrast dye. These scans also have a rate of false positives of 5 - 15% (looks like a problem but is not a problem). These tests (and MRI's) are called diagnostic imaging tests meaning they are used by doctors to diagnose your medical problem. They are best used in conjunction with other medical data from blood work, ultrasounds, needle biopsies, etc. where the doctors are looking for something specific You are feeling healthy but you decide to get the scan. It shows a shadow or indication in you chest. You go to doctor who does blood work, xrays, ultrasounds. Maybe even suggests exploritory surgery. And finds nothing? If you feel lousy see a doctor, get physical exam once a year or two. Have a long term relationship with your primary care doctor. Together you will find problems and deal with them.
5. The utility of whole body scans as a "screening" mechanism is generally discounted by most physicians and professional associations. For several reasons. The scans themselves subject people to radiation (xrays). While the dose is fairly low, you always want to minimize exposure to what is medically warranted. Also, the rates of false positives is considered too high. This is where "suspicious" areas are seen on the scan. Once that happens, generally the only way to resolve the question is further scanning or biopsy. Added cost and inconvenience to the patient and insurer/payer. Even as a cancer survivor and one who worries about recurrence, I believe my oncologist when he states that there is no evidence of improved survival in doing lots of expensive scans and tests to try to detect recurrence. I believe I will receive mammograms more frequently, but no whole body scans, MRIs, tumor marker tests, etc.
6. I have never heard of lifescan and without seeing the ad or knowing what their claims are it is hard to judge. However, I would be leery about a company advertising whole body scans to the general public. Professional grade machines are very expensive. They must have periodic maintenance and inspections to insure safety for the patients and the employees. The scan must be performed by a professionally trained person and read by a physician. These tests costs thousands of dollars and insurance companies will not pay for them unless there is a valid medical reason to do so, ie doctors are looking for the cause of a problem. Just about everything in medicine has a risk and if the benefit of a procedure, scan, x-ray, prescription, etc. does not out weigh the risk it should not be done. Even in a professional setting there is not one scan that is best for every situation and knowing which one to choose requires professional training. Given all of these issues I can’t see having one of these scans as a good choice.