Getting a full-body scan to check yourself out for possible cancers might sound like a great idea. But what are the risks and benefits? And what does a full-body scan entail? Should you get one?
We consulted Melissa Chen, M.D., a neuroradiologist specializing in diagnosing brain tumors and head and neck cancers.
What is a full-body scan?Generally, it’s a scan taken of the entire body with either an MRI or a CT machine...

Desmoid tumors are slow-growing, locally invasive tumors that develop in the body’s connective tissues. Also known as aggressive fibromatosis...
A family history of cancer could put you at higher risk of developing that disease one day. Depending on what type of cancer is involved,...
When I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2018, I wasn’t really that surprised. My gynecologist had been monitoring several suspicious spots in my right breast for years.
At almost every mammogram, the technician would say, “Oh, here’s something else we need to watch.” And, my doctor would insert a tiny metal clip there to mark the new spot after performing a breast biopsy on it. By the time my annual screening...

A breast cancer diagnosis is not the end of the world, though it can certainly feel like it at the time. And I know, because I’ve been there...
Cervical cancer can be detected with a Pap test. Breast cancer can be detected with mammograms and clinical breast exams. But ovarian cancer...
Bloating, diarrhea and abdominal pain are three of the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer. They’re also some of the easiest to overlook...
Gardner syndrome is a rare, inherited condition where people develop hundreds and sometimes thousands of abnormal growths in their large and...
I was just coming off of my first year playing college basketball in August 2021 when I was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. ...
An estimated one in every 288 people has Lynch syndrome. “It’s about 1 million people in the United States,” says Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D...