MRI would it show

[Popsicle82646]

I'm considering laying private for a full Body MRI as part of a health MOT.

Please no judgment on why I am choosing to have one, I do have health anxiety so I have my reasons.

I wanted to ask if anyone could tell me if a Full body MRI would detect:
Bowel cancer
Oesophageal cancer
Stomach cancer
Neck/throat cancer

Thank you ☺️

Anxiety is by far the most likely reason for your symptoms. What help are you getting for the anxiety? I think this should be your priority. Especially with negative FIT and calprotectin.

Sounds more like a gall bladder issue. Have you tried removing all fat from your diet?

With your health anxiety, it's just going to make things worse. You need help for your anxiety. Especially as anxiety itself can cause stomach issues, leading to loose stools and pain.

I sympathise, I'm 40 odd years into an as yet undiagnosed stomach issue but some things I do know which make the pain worse are lack of sleep, stress, and adrenaline rushes/high activity so when I'm exercising for example.

I have ongoing left sided pain too OP, since August. I have private cover so I have seen a Gastro who has said I don’t need a colonoscopy given negative CT, fit and calprotectin but will do it if I want one.

I have HA too and can’t decide if it’s my HA saying I need one or I need to be checked over physically to be 100% sure.

just as an fyi, a full body MRI in my area is in the thousands.

Hello OP,

I do think if you have health anxiety you might want to address it. It doesn't mean you can't also have the MRI but as others have pointed out it will only help briefly, you might then worry about other things.

Another thought - I am no expert but I think some markers for cancer show in a blood test, which would certainly be faster and easier and cheaper than getting an MRI. Would this ease your anxiety ? Maybe start there ?

There aren't markers for the majority of cancers she's listed

Op - Assume you've had billary (gallbladder)/liver investigations (+/- ultrasound) as part of your investigations

No I haven't as the pain is on the left hand side, aren't gallbladder,over Hilary pain right sided?
Do you think they should do these tests as standard?

I get left sided pain and odd poo loose, rabbit droppings etc its diverticulitis.

@Popsicle82646 have you seen a consultant??

I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer via an MRI. I had previously had a CT scan which did not detect anything.

Apologies if this has been mentioned because I haven't read all replies. But I had a SPECT CT scan for undiagnosed back pain (paid privately) and it brought up a number of other 'ailments' like a benign lump in my breast and boney spur on spine etc.. I had a quick google and it looks like it can pick up at least some cancers. It's a scan with radioactive tracer so more in-depth perhaps than an MRI/normal ct scan? I can't recall how expensive it was but I think it was quite dear

No just GPs, gastro weren't interested as fit was clear and no other factors ie family history, blood in stool etc.

Don't know where to go from here I just feel stuck and it's horrible.

Every day I'm in pain 🥲

Listen to the consultants.

get help for the health anxiety

What about an ultrasound scan. I had one all over my abdomen due to unknown pain. They examined all my organs below my diaphragm.

I would push harder for a colonoscopy referral. Go back and say you have noted the negative stool tests but as your symptoms are continuing and you're in pain daily, you can't just carry on like this. Ask to see a different GP if yours is resistant. A colonoscopy would show any ulceration in the intestines that would indicate bowel disease as opposed to IBS and other things too.

Is your stool always loose or does it vary? Can you take anything that helps with the pain? Do any changes in eating patterns make a difference to either of these things?

Whole body MRI is useless as a screening test. There is no evidence for it and it is sold by unscrupulous non-evidence based practitioners wanting to make money preying on anxiety.

It's also problematic as they turn up a tonne of odd anomalies that in other circumstances would never have caused symptoms but that need investigated and/or declared on insurance applications.

E.g my friends kid got an MRI as part of research project (they were in the healthy control group) and it turned up a rare cortical anomaly. Child is completely fit and healthy but they now have to declare this for ever more and it will load their insurance premiums in the future and possibly exclude them from certain careers.

DOI: Doctor.

I think you need an endoscopy to look for esophageal and stomach cancer. You can have a CT scan for the bowel, it needs the same preparation as for a colonoscopy (empty bowel) and they fill your bowel with gas to expand it. I'm not sure about MRI and whether it would need the same prep.

Ask a doctor. And get help for the health anxiety

Absolute rubbish

What is rubbish?

I appreciate everyone's comments thank you, but I do think once you mention you have health anxiety people jump on you like all of a sudden your symptoms are because of your anxiety....
I have had counselling and CBT for my health anxiety but when is the point of 'it's just health anxiety talking' and 'it's actually something you should have looked into'?

That's a lot of cancers you want to check for OP. Do you have a family history of those cancers?

The problem with having investigations for health anxiety (rather than recommended by a Dr for clinical reasons) is you tend to only be reassured temporarily. If the symptoms you're experiencing continue the worry often starts all over again.

Could you discuss with your GP how anxious this is making you feel and how worried you are you have cancer somewhere in your GI tract? Maybe she could let you know what other signs she'd be looking for, which you don't have, which would indicate a cause for concern

OP, have they tested you for helicobacter pylori?

I'm waiting for you to explain why you said "Absolute rubbish" in response to my post.

Thank you for your question, a good point and yes my regular GP recently asked for a H Pylori test last month, up until then it hadn't been mentioned but all came back negative which is good so that rules out that I guess 🙃

Just my own experience but I had a lot of stomach pain and issues with either constipation or diarrhea and given up gluten has really helped.