Can I get cancer screening?
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Anonymous
| Can I pay for them to do a full body scan to see if I have cancerous or pre-cancerous cells even if I have no symptoms? Has anyone ever done this? How much does it cost? |
Anonymous
| I am sure if you want to pay out of pocket for it you could do it. Oprah had one.... |
Anonymous
| A CT scan is roughly $500-$1,000. A PET scan is at least $4,000. |
Anonymous
| A CT scan will expose you to radiation and actually increase your risk of cancer. They are a valuable diagnostic tool when when other methods are insufficient. It would be foolish to do a full-body scan in the absence of symptoms. |
Anonymous
| You can get a Virtual Physical www.virtualphysical.com which will perform a CT scan. Years ago it was $800. Very fast and painless and results are given right then. |
Anonymous
|
You can do it, but you need to understand that it's not as obviously good an idea as you might think. Here is an article that explains why:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/11/fullbody_scam.html But if you don't want to read this, then the main points are: be prepared for THE 20-90% chance that they will find an ordinary cyst or piece of scar tissue that they will need to investigate. Realize that a CT scan does not do well with abdominal cancer unless they specifically use contrast dye, which they won't in this situation, and the people who would profit from this, the radiologists, are against preventive full body scans. |
Anonymous
| actual cells, no. Abnormal growths, yes. Just ask for the hyperchondriac special. |
maril332
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| You can get a CA-125 blood test. |
Anonymous
Not a good marker. At all. High false positives |
Anonymous
|
The best strategy is annual physicals with your primary care doctor. I also see a dermatologist once a year for a skin cancer check and my gyn once a year for a pap.
If you keep up with preventative medicine, you're much more likely to catch something early if there is ever anything to be aware of. |
Anonymous
| I'm a hypochondriac and even I wouldn't do this. A friend of mine's son had an MRI because of headaches and they found a small cyst on his brain, which has nothing to do with his headaches. They will monitor it to make sure it resolves, and it most likely will. The neurologist told the parents that at any given time we all have cysts, irregular cells, etc., most of which resolve on their own without us even knowing. Apparently, what their son has is very common, but since most kids don't get MRIs, most don't know about it. This was just an incidental finding, and the parents are very rational and trust the doctor. I can't say I'd be the same way and would likely spend months unecessarily worrying over it. |