The Pros

Supporters of whole-body CT scan claim that the screening tool offers patients the ability to detect diseases, such as certain forms of cancer, early enough to improve prognosis and work towards a much easier treatment plan. Among the other benefits claimed by supporters:

Improving Scanning for Symptomatic Patients

A whole-body CT scan can reduce the reliance on bone marrow biopsies, which are painful and invasive, for patients who have myeloma - a cancer of the blood cells in the bone marrow.

Effective Screening Tool For Patients Over 40

Dr. Michael Brant-Zawadski, a radiologist with experience in whole-body CT scans, claims that in screening self-referred patients over the age of 40, about one in one hundred will be found to have a form of cancer. Among the most common to be detected are cancers of the lungs and kidneys, but he also cites early detection of deadly pancreatic cancer, as well as aortic aneurysms and lymphoma, or a cancer of the white blood cells.

The Cons

While this test does provide detailed images of the bones, organs and body tissues, both false negatives (missing an existing condition and giving a patient a false sense of security) and false positives (mis-identifying a benign abnormality, which leads to expensive follow-up testing or even unnecessary surgeries) are risks. The FDA, which has never approved, cleared or certified any form of CT screening for asymptomatic people, claims that there is a lack of scientific data showing that there is any clinical benefit from WBCT screenings on people who are lacking symptoms or signs of disease.

Radiation Risk

As with all X-ray exams, WBCT carries a risk of adding to a patient’s cumulative radiation dose, which could increase a risk of cancer later in life. Radiation exposure from a typical CT exam is larger than from most conventional X-ray imaging procedures. While a single exam poses little risk, the cumulative exposure to radiation from periodic WBCT scans may exceed the recommended upper limits for exposure and increase an otherwise healthy person’s cancer risk.