A growing number of celebrities and influencers have endorsed full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that claim to detect early signs of conditions such as cancer, aneurysms, autoimmune disorders, and liver disease. Actress Busy Philipps recently shared a personal experience of having a rare, malignant brain tumor removed after it was identified through a Prenuvo full-body MRI scan, adding to the public interest in these screenings.

Prenuvo, a company offering these comprehensive scans for approximately $2,500, has provided free scans to some influencers and distributed discount codes to their followers. Other public figures like Kim Kardashian, Maria Menounos, and Mary Bonnet have also praised the service. Despite such endorsements, medical experts urge caution, noting that full-body MRI scans may pose more risks than benefits for healthy individuals.

“This type of testing can lead to anxiety, unnecessary procedures, and significant expenses without clear proof of improved health outcomes,” said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a researcher at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Mass General Brigham. He emphasized that testing without symptoms often results in a cascade of additional tests and treatments, which might cause harm rather than help.

Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, director of the Radiology Outcomes Research Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, acknowledged that a small number of people might benefit from early tumor detection. However, she warned that many detected tumors may be benign or indolent, leading to treatments that offer no real advantage and may instead cause harm.

Prenuvo’s chief medical officer, Dr. Daniel Durand, described the use of full-body MRI as an evolving field requiring further research, particularly to understand long-term outcomes for individuals without symptoms. He noted that while false positives are possible, the risks associated with missed or delayed diagnoses should also be considered.

Experts highlight two primary risks linked to full-body MRI scans. First, incidental findings known as “incidentalomas” are common in healthy individuals and can prompt unnecessary follow-up tests and invasive procedures, including biopsies and surgeries. Dr. Sameer Ansari, a neuroradiologist at Northwestern Medicine, said these false positives often lead to needless interventions. Dr. Sarah Stock of the Cleveland Clinic added that only a very small fraction of scans result in the early detection of serious conditions.

The second risk involves overdiagnosis, in which detected tumors might never progress to cause illness or death, yet patients receive treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery that are ultimately unwarranted. In 2023, the American College of Radiology stated there is no evidence supporting the cost-effectiveness or life-extending benefit of total-body screening.

A 2019 meta-analysis found that approximately one-third of asymptomatic individuals undergoing full-body MRI had potentially clinically significant abnormalities. However, the clinical relevance of these findings remains uncertain. Social media discourse tends to highlight success stories while often overlooking risks. A 2025 study examining nearly 1,000 TikTok and Instagram posts on full-body scans found that only 15 percent mentioned potential downsides.

Dr. Welch observed that survivor testimonials can be misleading and cautioned that the overall benefit of such screenings in healthy populations has yet to be demonstrated.