It’s important to note that there is not just one full-body scan available. There will be different ones, that serve different purposes depending on what you need. For example, you will have a CT scan and an MRI scan, each with its differences.

A CT scan, also known as a computed tomography scan, helps to show your doctor images of a cross-section of a specific body part. It will use ionizing radiation to scan the body, which usually takes no longer than 15 minutes.

An MRI scan is also a non-invasive technique of analyzing the body, just that it works in a slightly different way. It uses powerful magnets as well as radio waves to help produce images of within the anatomy and general processes within the body. A doctor will be able to see abnormalities within your tissues, or even blood vessels, as well as your organs.

What A-Scan Can Find

The main purpose of these scans is to find any signs of cancer that exist in your body. It could be cancerous cells or lumps, as well as other abnormalities. Depending on the scan that you’ve had, your procedure and results will vary in a few different forms.

You will have this scan to help define what cancer you have, if any, and begin treatment. You may have been referred to a cancer specialist for a scan from your regular doctor, or it could have been something that has flagged up during your annual scan. That’s one of the reasons that people turn to providers such as Ezra for an annual full-body scan for cancer, as it helps them gain more control over their health, and catch anything as early as possible to treat it.

Those who regularly have scans will not only gain peace of mind over their health, as they have an understanding of what’s going on, they will also

Other Tests You Could Have

Aside from full-body scans as well as the others mentioned above, there will be other tests that you can engage with to best detect cancer. Arguably one of the most popular comes in the form of a physical examination. This will usually be conducted by a health care expert, who works with you to find and reveal changes in your body that could show signs of disruption.

These disruptions could be tumors or other abnormalities in your body. For example, a physical examination could find changes in your skin color, as well as enlargement and swelling of other parts of your body. This can come in the form of breast lumps or rashes, as well as other breast issues that could indicate breast cancer. 

It’s also possible to have lumps that are benign and offer no harm. You will still be able to get these examined and dealt with, even if it's not a sign of cancer.

Another popular way of testing for cancer as well as other issues with the body is with a laboratory test. You are most likely familiar with some of these tests, with one of the most common ones being a blood test. This works by a nurse or doctor, or even a specialist, taking a small sample of blood from you, to send off to a lab. The lab doctors then analyze your blood, to find what it's high in, or low in, in regards to certain elements. This could be to do with iron or a red blood cell count.

There are different types of blood tests too. The complete blood count test helps to detect cancers within the blood, such as leukemia and lymphoma. This helps to measure the number of blood cells you have in your blood, as well as abnormal cells.

Blood protein testing helps doctors to analyze any abnormal proteins, such as certain immunoglobulins, or more specific blood cancers such as multiple myeloma. A doctor will also be able to conduct a tumor marker test. This will be done to help find concentrated amounts of tumor markers within the blood, as well as prostate-specific antigens that could be a sign of prostate cancer.

As well as a blood test, your doctor may want to take a urine sample. The main reason will be to find out if you have any issues to do with your urine, such as bladder cancer. A specialist known as a urinalysis will look at your urine sample, to find if there are any small samples of blood or other substances hiding within.

A doctor may also want a biopsy. This is where some tissue, marrow, or even skin will be removed through something known as a colonoscopy. When they have these samples, they can take them for more detailed analysis in a lab, and find out important information regarding your wellbeing.

All of these laboratory tests are conducted to find more detailed information about your health in ways you may not have expected. 

Importance Of Early Detection

With most cancers, the earlier that you can detect them, the better your chances of surviving. Not just surviving, but managing the symptoms and lowering them. Cancer can be classified into a few different stages, depending on how long it’s been in your system, and how aggressive it is. It will be numbered from 0-4, oftentimes in roman numerals.

That’s why one of the many advantages of annual full-body scans is being able to detect any issues as soon as possible. The sooner the treatment, the sooner the fix, allowing you to continue with your life without major worry or anxiety.