Dwyane Wade discovered he had kidney cancer thanks to this scan. Should you get one?
The fancy full-body scan that has become the new medical trend amongst celebrities may have saved Dwyane Wade's life.
The 43-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer revealed in January that he had surgery in 2023 to remove kidney cancer.
Wade previously said the discovery came after health concerns, including urinary issues, prompted a visit to a physician. But in an in-depth interview with SiriusXM TODAY Show Radio, he said the full-body scan led to the discovery.
The basketball star isn’t the first celebrity to credit full-body scans for detecting health issues.
A whole-body scan led to an early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in Maria Menounos. It also detected a traumatic brain injury in Rick Springfield that may have occurred during a stage accident over 20 years ago.
Kim Kardashian touted the full-body MRI scan on her Instagram saying, “it has really saved some of my friends' lives.”
As celebrities continue to praise full-body scans, should average Americans consider them?
“It really doesn’t make any sense,” said Dr. Patrick Kenney, urologic oncologist at Yale Cancer Center.
Besides the hefty price tag – which can range between $1,000 and $3,000 and isn’t covered by most insurance – Kenney said the scan may induce needless anxiety by detecting things that aren’t necessarily dangerous. This could also lead to overtreatment, such as surgeries that wouldn't typically fall under standard treatment or care.
Most small kidney masses that are found incidentally don’t require treatment. Small kidney masses under four centimeters may not need immediate treatment. Some doctors may recommend active surveillance, which includes imaging every six months for the first two years and then annually, thereafter.
Wade said on the TODAY show that his mass was 3 centimeters. Doctors removed 40% of his right kidney on Dec. 18, 2023, Wade said in January. Following the surgery, the tumor was biopsied and found to be cancerous.
Kenney said most patients on active surveillance are able to stay on active surveillance.
Some argue that detecting a mass early could save on costs down the line that may be related to more aggressive treatments and surgeries, said John Oertle, chief medical director at Envita Medical Centers in Scottsdale, Arizona, which offers full-body scans.
However, Kenney argues there’s no data to support that.
“It’s disingenuous to say that there are cost savings associated with full-body MRIs,” he said. “That has not been proven.”
The current cancer screening guidelines recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is backed by rigorous data and it’s hard to imagine a future where a full-body scan would be a part of any guidance, Kenney said.
But if Americans are interested in whole-body scans – and have some spare change – they should be counseled ahead of time to understand the risks associated with it, including the fact that some things detected on the scan may not need treatment, he said.
“Right now, we identify too many unimportant problems to justify an expensive scan as a public health measure," he said. "One of the most important things we can do is arm our patients with information to help them understand... what risks they're comfortable with and what risks they're not comfortable with."
This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.
Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt, Paste BN.
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.