Full-Body Scans: The Latest Trend in Preventative Healthcare

By Jackie Kolgraf 

What if you had the power to detect the early stages of disease in your body and intervene before things got serious? 

Full-body scans put that power in patients’ hands, available to anyone at any time – for a cost, of course. 

We are often warned of the late detection dangers of diseases like cancer, where earlier treatment generally leads to better outcomes. People are encouraged to get checked with tests like mammograms and colonoscopies. Rather than making multiple appointments for these scans, though, one full-body scan could give you the ability to screen for both breast cancer and colon cancer without the need for a separate mammogram and colonoscopy, while also screening for a myriad of other potential illnesses. 

Kim Kardashian popularized these scans when she posted a photo of herself in front of what she called a “life saving” Prenuvo machine in 2023 with the caption, “The Prenuvo full-body scan has the ability to detect cancer and diseases such as aneurysms in its earliest stages, before symptoms arise. It was like getting a MRI for an hour with no radiation. It has really saved some of my friends lives and I just wanted to share #NotAnAd.” More recently, in October 2025, she revealed on “Good Morning America” that results from another Prenuvo scan sent her for further imaging to diagnose a brain aneurysm. 

Despite what may sound like an obvious appeal, though, many doctors and organizations are against full-body scans for low-risk, otherwise healthy people. 

What Is a Full Body Scan? 

A full-body scan utilizes either low-dose computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to generate images of the entire human body. While full-body scans with CT imaging expose patients to a small amount of radiation, full-body scans with exclusively MRI imaging contain no radiation.  

Full-body scans can detect many potential conditions – including abscesses, cancers, cysts, fractures, hemorrhages, calcifications, degeneration, effusion, hernias, lesions, metastases tumors, and much more. It can scan across your adrenals, bladder, bony skeleton, bowels, brain, breasts, cervical lymph node chain, esophagus, gallbladder, heart, hypopharynx, kidneys, knees, liver, lungs, nasal pharynx, oral pharynx, ovaries, pancreas, pelvis and hips, prostate, sacroiliac joins, shoulders, sinuses, soft tissue, spine, spleen, stomach, thyroid, uterus, and more. 

Why Should I Get a Full Body Scan? 

For most, the primary appeal of a full-body scan is peace of mind. The scan can give you a baseline understanding of your overall physical health that you can then use as a status tracker throughout your life, empowering you to make better health decisions moving forward. 

But for some, the scan can and will detect disease that could either need life-saving and immediate intervention or require lifestyle changes and monitoring. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in two people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime, so full-body scans can give you the ability to catch any possible disease across your body early. 

People with a family history of certain diseases may also be interested in getting regular full-body scans to more easily track potential disease progression, rather than waiting for symptoms to one day arise.  

How Long Does a Full Body Scan Take? 

Depending on the specific full-body scan machine you use, most scans take at least 45 minutes and up to 90 minutes to complete. Full-body scans that utilize MRI technology generally take longer than full-body scans that utilize CT imaging. 

Most full-body scan experiences are painless and non-invasive. The patient is positioned comfortably, sometimes with pillows or straps, on a table that slides into the scanning machine. Because the magnets used in an MRI can be noisy, many places will provide patients with headphones or earplugs. Some patients may receive a contrast dye injection before the scan, if needed. 

After the scan is finished, the results need to be interpreted by a trained radiologist before they are presented to the patient by a doctor. 

What is a DEXA Scan? 

DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans are a type of full-body scan, but the results are much more limited. Frequently used by athletes, DEXA scans show bone density, body composition of subcutaneous and visceral fat, and a map of muscle distribution throughout the body. They can also be helpful for older adults at risk of osteoporosis. 

How Much Does a Full Body Scan Cost? 

There is no standard fee for full-body scans, so cost can depend on location, type of machine used, and other factors. Generally, full-body scans with MRI technology start at $2,000, and full-body CT scans start at $500. 

Because they are considered elective health procedures, full-body scans are not covered by most health insurance plans, so the patient is responsible for the full cost.  

Why Are Full Body Scans Controversial? 

Despite the full-body scan’s promise for potential early detection, many doctors still do not recommend them.  

This is primarily because the scans could create false positives, leading to unnecessary health anxiety for patients and even extra costs for further testing. Also, because full-body scans are usually paid for out of pocket and not covered by health insurance, they are cost-prohibitive and can be seen as a celebrity fad. Each full-body scan using CT imaging also exposes the patient to a small dose of radiation, which can be dangerous over time. 

Are Full Body Scans Accurate? 

After Kim Kardashian’s promotion of the Prenuvo scan, Emmy producer Dionne Harman famously went and got a full-body scan of her own, only to discover she had a mass in her right lung, which turned out to be Stage 3 lung cancer. Maria Menounos’ scan revealed Stage 2 pancreatic cancer, requiring the surgical removal of a 3.9 centimeter tumor. On the other hand, Prenuvo was previously sued in 2024 by a 37-year-old male who claimed his full-body scan radiologist missed signs of a forthcoming stroke. 

A 2019 meta-analysis of 5,000 people across 12 different studies found that, from the six complete studies, 16% of people who had no symptoms of disease received false positives from full-body scans, which could lead to unnecessary cancer treatments like surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The one study with occurrences of false negatives observed those in 2% of people. 

Full-body scan patients should also prepare themselves for the possibility of additional testing needed based on the scan results. The human body can be full of abnormalities (like lumps, bumps, and scars) that are perfectly benign but appear dangerous on MRIs. Normal findings that require further testing, such as biopsies, to rule out disease can occur more often than discovering actual malignant tumors. 

“If you scan more, we see more,” Dr. Thomas C. Kwee, a radiologist at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands and meta-analysis co-author, told “The New York Times.”  

Are Full Body Scans Worth it? 

Whether or not full-body scans are simply the latest in a never-ending parade of celebrity health trends, they can and do detect disease that requires treatment.  

But in the end, it is up to each individual person to decide if these scans are worth the financial cost for the knowledge they might bring.