ReviewCancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society2020
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) for cancer screening in asymptomatic subjects of the general population: review and recommendations.
Review in Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06931561 (Occupational Cancer Screening in Firefighters), which is not on this map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Occupational Cancer Screening in Firefighters: A Pilot Study Within the Inova Health System
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- Whole-body MRI for opportunistic cancer detection in asymptomatic individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European radiology · 2026Pooled it
- Whole-Body MRI Is an Effective Imaging Modality for Hematological Malignancy Treatment Response Assessment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Evaluation of audiovisual and auditory interventions on exam anxiety during whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in cancer patients: a quasi-experimental study.Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society · 2026Observational
- ONCO-RADS-guided Large Language Models for Extraction and Classification of Incidental Findings on Whole-Body Imaging Reports.Radiology. Imaging cancer · 2026Article
- Observational
- How to implement a radiologist led whole-body MRI screening program.Radiology advances · 2026Review
- Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging for cutaneous melanoma staging: A scientific review.World journal of clinical oncology · 2025Article
- Utility of Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging Surveillance in Children and Adults With Cancer Predisposition Syndromes: A Retrospective Study.JCO precision oncology · 2025Article
- Social Media Posts About Medical Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Review
- Image quality of whole-body diffusion MR images comparing deep-learning accelerated and conventional sequences.European radiology · 2024Article
- Peptide PET Imaging: A Review of Recent Developments and a Look at the Future of Radiometal-Labeled Peptides in Medicine.Chemical & biomedical imaging · 2024Review
- Whole-body MRI in oncology: acquisition protocols, current guidelines, and beyond.La Radiologia medica · 2024Review
- Effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging and spiral computed tomography in the staging and treatment prognosis of colorectal cancer.World journal of gastrointestinal surgery · 2024Article
- A Radiation-Free Approach Based on the Whole-Body MRI Has Shown a High Level of Accuracy in the Follow-Up of Lymphoma Patients-A Single Center Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Social Media Promotion of Health Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis or Overuse: Protocol for a Content Analysis.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Normal bone marrow signal characteristics in whole-body diffusion-weighted images of amateur marathon runners.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Article
- Integrating Artificial Intelligence for Advancing Multiple-Cancer Early Detection via Serum Biomarkers: A Narrative Review.Cancers · 2024Review
- Applying ONCO-RADS to whole-body MRI cancer screening in a retrospective cohort of asymptomatic individuals.Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society · 2024Article
- Patient centered radiology: investigating 3 Tesla whole body MRI acceptance in cancer patients.La Radiologia medica · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe number of studies describing the use of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) for screening of malignant tumours in asymptomatic subjects is increasing. Our aim is to review the methodologies used and the results of the published studies on per patient and per lesion analysis, and to provide recommendations on the use of WB-MRI for cancer screening. MAIN BODY: We identified 12 studies, encompassing 6214 WB-MRI examinations, which provided the rates of abnormal findings and findings suspicious for cancer in asymptomatic subjects, from the general population. Eleven of 12 studies provided imaging protocols that included T1- and T2-weighted sequences, while only five included diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) of the whole body. Different categorical systems were used for the classification and the management of abnormal findings. Of 17,961 abnormal findings reported, 91% were benign, while 9% were oncologically relevant, requiring further investigations, and 0.5% of lesions were suspicious for cancer. A per-subject analysis showed that just 5% of subjects had no abnormal findings, while 95% had abnormal findings. Findings requiring further investigation were reported in 30% of all subjects, though in only 1.8% cancer was suspected. The overall rate of histologically confirmed cancer was 1.1%.
conclusionWB-MRI studies of cancer screening in the asymptomatic general population are too heterogeneous to draw impactful conclusions regarding efficacy. A 5-point lesion scale based on the oncological relevance of findings appears the most appropriate for risk-based management stratification. WB-MRI examinations should be reported by experienced oncological radiologists versed on WB-MRI reading abnormalities and on onward referral pathways.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.