Full body X-ray computed tomography (CT) and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans are being marketed as the latest trend in preventive medicine. But are they worth the cost and exposure to harmful radiation?

What is a Preventive CT?

Both CT and CAT scans use X-rays to produce images representing "slices" of the body—like the slices of a loaf of bread. Each image slice corresponds to a wafer-thin section of tissue or organs, which can be viewed to reveal body structures in great detail. That’s why in standard use CT is recognized as an invaluable medical tool to diagnose disease, trauma, or abnormality in patients with signs or symptoms of disease. It's also widely used for planning, guiding, and monitoring therapy for patients diagnosed with disease.

What's different is preventive CT scans being promoted as a proactive health care measure for healthy individuals who have no symptoms of disease, promising to catch dangerous diseases in earlier, more curable stages. Taking preventive action—finding unsuspected disease—and uncovering problems while they are treatable sounds smart and almost too good to be true! And maybe that’s because its value of preventive CT scans is still out for debate.

What’s the FDA's Recommendation?

At this time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knows of no scientific evidence demonstrating that whole-body scanning of individuals without symptoms provides more benefit than harm to people being screened. More specifically, they note:

• Whole-body CT screening has not been demonstrated to meet generally accepted criteria for an effective screening procedure.
• Medical professional societies have not endorsed whole-body CT scanning for individuals without symptoms.
• CT screening of high-risk individuals for specific diseases, such as lung cancer or colon cancer, is currently being studied.
• The radiation from a CT scan may be associated with a very small increase in the possibility of developing cancer later in a person's life.

Before having a preventive CT screening procedure, carefully investigate and consider the potential risks and benefits and discuss them with your doctor. In many instances, CT screenings are not covered under insurance plans, so be prepared to cover the cost—which can fall anywhere between $250 and $750 per scan—all out of pocket.