MRI is an effective cancer screening, especially for patients with dense tissue, but can lead to false positives and trigger claustrophobia. Insurance may not cover it unless medically necessary. Some patients may prefer other screening methods.
One of the most common tests to detect cancer is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Like other cancer tests, this type of scan has some pros and cons, with the biggest benefit being how effective it is. This is especially true for patients with dense tissue, because other common cancer tests usually require the tissue to be thin to get the most accurate results. On the other hand, MRI for cancer detection is known to get more false-positive results than other types of screening, often leading to costly and not always necessary follow-up testing. Also, some patients are hesitant to have an MRI, because stepping into the MRI machine is known to trigger claustrophobia.
Many doctors recommend the use of MRI for cancer detection because it is among the most effective screenings. Part of the reason is that MRIs can detect cancer even in dense tissue, which poses a challenge to some other cancer tests. For example, an MRI is often preferred over a mammogram in detecting breast cancer because it can detect abnormal cells even in young women’s breasts, which tend to be quite dense. Mammograms are more likely to miss a tumor unless the tissue is thin and, therefore, able to be flattened easily. Therefore, doctors are likely to recommend an MRI scan for cancer detection in young patients with particularly dense tissue.
The downside to the effectiveness of MRI is that it can cause false positive results. Aside from the stress this can cause to patients, it can also lead to follow-up tests, such as biopsies, to get a closer look at the tissue before making a cancer diagnosis. This can be costly for patients because insurance doesn’t always cover these tests. In fact, some US insurance companies won’t cover an MRI to begin with, unless your doctor can offer proof that it’s medically necessary. This usually only works if the patient has symptoms or a history of cancer, so an MRI as part of a regular checkup often has to be paid for by the patient.
Even when an MRI scan for cancer detection is paid for by insurance and recommended by a doctor, some patients are hesitant to undergo this screening. This is often the result of claustrophobia, because the test requires patients to enter a machine barely larger than their body. This can cause anxiety, so some patients skip MRIs for cancer detection in favor of other screening methods.
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