Last year, an estimated two million Americans were diagnosed with cancer, with more than 600,000 losing their lives to their disease.
Where does early detection and prevention begin with a disease of this magnitude?
Keep reading as we explore National Cancer Prevention Month and how the latest technology in healthcare could be the answer to early cancer detection.
February is National Cancer Prevention Month
February is more than just heart-shaped candies and “I love you” merchandise – it also represents National Cancer Prevention Month.
A Brief Look Through the Window on Cancer Statistics
Cancer is not only one of the most well-known diseases in the world but also the most impactful.
- Last year, experts projected over two million new cases of cancer would be diagnosed, and over 600,000 people in the US would die from the disease (National Cancer Institute)
- An estimated 40.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetimes (National Cancer Institute)
- Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of death among people younger than 85 years (American Cancer Society)
- More than 40% of cancer cases and nearly half of the deaths can be attributed to preventable causes (American Association for Cancer Research)
Prevention Month Is About Prevention
That last statistic is the one worth sitting with. More than 40 percent of cancer cases and nearly half of cancer deaths are attributable to preventable causes. That is the largest single lever anyone has, and none of it involves a scanner.
Not smoking, and stopping if you do. Maintaining a healthy weight. Limiting alcohol. HPV vaccination, which prevents nearly all cervical cancers and several others. Sun protection. Treating hepatitis B and C, which prevents liver cancer. These are unglamorous and they are what the evidence supports.
The second lever is guideline-recommended screening, which has genuine mortality evidence behind it: mammography, colorectal screening from age 45, cervical screening, and low-dose CT for eligible current or former smokers. If you do nothing else this February, check which of those you are due for.
Where a Whole-Body MRI Honestly Fits
Third, and it is genuinely third.
A full-body MRI uses radio waves and a magnetic field to image soft tissues and organs, with no ionizing radiation and no contrast dye. It looks at organs no routine screening programme covers, including the kidneys, liver, pancreas, adrenal glands and brain, and it gives you a structural baseline.
What we are not going to tell you is that it prevents cancer, or that we have perfected screening. Detection is not prevention. And for pancreatic cancer specifically, often cited as the reason to scan, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening asymptomatic adults at average risk, because screening has not been shown to reduce deaths and carries real harms. No study has shown that whole-body MRI screening of people without symptoms improves survival, and the American College of Radiology does not currently recommend it for people without symptoms, risk factors or a relevant family history.
Scans of healthy people also turn up findings that need follow-up and usually amount to nothing. We cover that in what incidental findings actually are.
Take a Proactive Approach, In the Right Order
Address the preventable causes. Do the screening you are eligible for. Then, if you want a broad structural look at the organs none of that covers, that is what we offer, and we will be honest about what it does.
Schedule a baseline whole-body MRI or talk to our team first.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much cancer is actually preventable?
More than 40 percent of cancer cases and nearly half of cancer deaths are attributable to preventable causes, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. That is the single largest lever available: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, HPV vaccination, sun protection, and treating hepatitis B and C.
What cancer screening should I be doing?
The tests with genuine mortality evidence are mammography, colorectal screening from age 45, cervical screening, and low-dose CT for eligible current or former smokers. Which apply to you depends on age, sex and risk factors, so check with your doctor which you are due for.
Does a full body MRI prevent cancer?
No. Detection is not prevention, and we will not blur the two. Imaging cannot lower the chance a cell becomes malignant. What reduces risk is addressing the preventable causes above. What a scan can do is look at organs no routine screening programme covers and give you a structural baseline.
Can a whole-body MRI screen for pancreatic cancer?
It images the pancreas, but that is not the same as screening for pancreatic cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening asymptomatic adults at average risk, because it has not been shown to reduce deaths and carries real harms. People with certain inherited syndromes or a strong family history are a separate group who should be managed by a specialist team.
When is February Cancer Prevention Month?
February is National Cancer Prevention Month in the United States, observed by the American Association for Cancer Research. It is a reasonable prompt to check which screening tests you are due for and to address any preventable risk factors within your control.
