Full body cancer scans

Sounds like you know the answer already

The main obstacle you'll run into with anything that involves radiation is "Does this person have a medical need that justifies exposing them to radiation, (which is itself a risk factor for cancer)?" That's the question you and your doctor should be asking in my opinion.

Is it a waste of money or a good investment?

Valid question, but not the most important one. You need a professional to help you break down the risk/reward here.

Based on what you've said about family history and your current exposure risk to carcinogens at work, I'd think you could make a good case for yourself, BUT....be prepared to hear no. I could imagine your doctor saying no, and telling you that unless there are symptoms present that you would just be getting this scan to soothe your anxiety, and it's not worth the risk from radiation exposure for just that.

Also, what if the scan shows something? You ready to deal with that? This is why I hope for you that you have someone you know and trust well who has the expertise to talk this through with you.

I'd write down all the family members that had cancer, what kind of cancer, at what age were they diagnosed, what treatment did they receive, and what was the outcome. Try and compare yourself now to them. What age are you? Did they have similar risk factors to you?(work in a plant). To me, it's a lot of questions and thinking and ultimately you have to decide. I know you could just pay out of pocket and go do it, but if you haven't already thought about this a great deal I hope you do. A full body CT scan is a big dose of radiation.

I wasn’t trying to be a wise arse in my original response; I am in a very similar situation.

My father and his youngest brother both died from bile duct cancer and pancreatic cancer, respectively. Dad was 75 and brother was 63. Currently my uncle, the middle brother between my dad and other uncle is about a year into pancreatic cancer also. Lots of things to think about.

Waste of money. Why scan your whole body if you are really worried about one section of your abdomen?

What do your GI and/or oncologist think about it? If you don't have regular checkups with one or both of these doctors, with your family history, start now.

Ackually, I thought the OP and the poster above me were the same, so my comment was targeted to the person concerned about bile duct/pancreatic.

The point does remain to the OP: Talk to oncology specialists in the fields where you have family history of cancer. Whole body scans using PET or similar tech are not very sensitive except for subsets of cancers.

Perhaps it makes sense for some folks with certain histories, but not for the general population; therefore, establishing relationships with oncology specialists and discussing your family history along with your current lifestyle and health should be your first step for prevention or early detection.

Hell, for some people surgery to remove organs before cancer develops could be a better choice than whole body scans. For instance and regardless of the presence of cancer on imaging, females with BRCA mutations who no longer want children could have their fallopian tubes removed (not their ovaries) to almost completely eliminate their high chances of developing ovarian cancer.

Look into the Grail test. It identify cancer cells at Stage 0. We offer at SYNC Life here in Baton Rouge.