Whole body screening....any thoughts?

[N3000]

Hi, I am now in my mid 50's, and will hopefully be retiring from my employer in a while......

Does anyone have any thoughts on the benefits, or not, of paying for a private MRI, or other such scan?

Just wondering whether its worth further checking ones health, over and above that of a normal Class One Medical examination?

[wiggy]

Just wondering whether its worth further checking ones health, over and above that of a normal Class One Medical examination?

IMHO yes it is, and I'd certainly recommend taking advantage of any screening your GP or local NHS recommend/offer....OTOH I'd be aware that there's no doubt a profit motive behind some of the advertising you see on the TV etc for whole body checks etc.

or other such scan? One for the medics, I think the theory is MRIs are fairly harmless but I'd avoid CAT scans unless there's a darned good reason.

I've got to dash out right now but I have some experience of all this so later on I'll also PM you on the subject...

[N3000]

Wiggy, many thanks! I sort of feel I probably had more than enough radiation on more than 30 years of flying.

[wiggy]

Hi again, I'm afraid I can't PM you ( perhaps if it's 'cos you are "on probation?").

I'll simply say I've known at least two people at work in their late 50's who were happily passing Class Ones but discovered they had malignant tumours during routine Health service screening (happily both have since recovered)....

The medics will know the ins and outs and pros and cons of this so their views will be interesting - as you are obviously aware there are risk factors to some screening methods.

[N3000]

Wiggy, once again thanks. Yes the pm thingy must be due "probation". I have a friend in the Medical field who is dead against this sort of scanning.......I was just trying to get a broader opinion! My friend suggests it produces way to many false results........

[obgraham]

Well this is the problem with all "screening". Figuring out the false positives and deciding if the damage from them is worth the benefit of the screen.

As you all know, this is still a question under great debate for the standard screening procedures, such as for prostate and breast cancers. What seems clear one year will shift back and forth for and against as time passes.

Total body "scanning" is largely profit driven. Once you've bought the machine, you need to shove as many people as possible through it to make it economically viable. And once you've seen something looking a bit different, you're pretty much obligated to perform more testing, even if the odds are that the different thing is of little significance.

That's the place where the downside of the screening scan becomes evident, and often negates the well publicized case report of "old Johnny whose life was saved by diagnosing that growth he never knew he had".

[wiggy]

This might be of interest:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jan/06/private-healthcare-screening-bma-nhs

For those with access to the UK NHS or similar Healthcare systems I think this advice from the article sums up my POV:

" "If you think you need screening, discuss it with your GP to see what's available on the NHS. No sales tactics, and it'll be free."

N3000 - looks like you've been PM enabled, so I've sent you the promised message.

[Radgirl]

Bang on Obgraham. This side of the pond too money can come before common sense. However Wiggy, the NHS doesnt pay for more than basic screening on the whole.

I have said before on this forum how important general practitioners are in the health chain. Sadly politicians have run them down in many countries, but their screening is the backbone of good care - measure blood pressure, check the urine, ask about symptoms. Teach about testicular and breast examination. Perhaps some simple blood tests to be analysed with care. Yes the NHS does that.

The other screening I do support is virtual colonography which uses a CT scanner with additional clever software to make a cartoon of the colon and pick up polyps before they become invasive cancer. With newer machines the dose of radiation is falling fast. We may be able to prevent not only death but also the dreadful surgery and chemotherapy needed once the cancer spreads - it is the commonest cause of death after lung and breast cancer. The VC can also check on the aorta, female organs and even the liver and spleen, and we often combine it with a calcium score which measures the amount of calcium deposits in the heart. A low score effectively eliminates serious coronary artery disease. The entire test takes 15 minutes and off you go back to work

Sadly the general public think more tests are good, but false positives and information we can do nothing about are real risks. So I am not sure how much else is helpful. Ultrasound of the carotid arteries is cheap, fast and reliable but only applicable in older people. As for whole body MRI the question is what do you do with the results? 2-3% of the population have asymptomatic cerebral aneurisms. If you find one, the individual will really struggle to accept doing nothing - they wont get health or travel insurance in any case!! - but treatment has a significant risk of death and morbidity. I for one dont want to go there.

Other tests are a few years off - we may be able to identify cancers years before they develop but at the moment there is too much snakeoil out there.

[N3000]

Radgirl, Wiggy, and obgraham..........many thanks to you all..I will have a chat with my GP.

[Fostex]

Victim Of Medical Imaging Technology - VOMIT - don't become one.

As Radgirl says once you hit your thirties it is quite normal for asymptomatic pathologies to show up on imaging. Once they are reported by a radiologist they can't be un-reported.

[gingernut]

Well, there are two certainties in life. Death and Taxes (Thanks Benjamin).

Can you influence any of them ?

Probably not. As Obs G and Rad's have quite correctly said, "screening" has to to be taken with a pinch of salt. Certain things "work," a lot doesn't.

I was brought up with "Wilson's Criteria for Screening." An old mantra, the WHO have tried to re-write it, but it's basically the same thing.

Spend your money on the accountant, don't smoke, check out your lifestyle and try your utmost to avoid doctors (and nurses). We do :-)

[gingernut]

Oh yeh, and choose good parents.

[wiggy]

Yep, though you only tend to realise how true that is as you get older....

[gingernut]

I think the general feeling from my learned friends, is that it'S w***