'Health MOT brain scans could do more harm than good'

Published on Thursday 3 September 2009 21:48

MEDICAL experts have expressed concerns about the growing market for brain scans carried out as "health MOTs".

Scientists at Edinburgh University said that, rather than allaying fears about undetected brain tumours and strokes, scan results created worry and encouraged people to have surgery which could do "more harm than good".

The study – published in the British Medical Journal and funded by the UK Medical Research Council, the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Funding Council and the United States National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute – analysed the results of almost 20,000 brain scans on seemingly healthy people.

It is the biggest review of brain scan results yet conducted.

The study found almost 3 per cent of people with no symptoms suggesting they had any kind of a brain condition had an abnormality on their brain scan.

However, researchers said there was "no clear medical evidence" that treatment for conditions such as weakened blood vessels or a benign tumour would be in the interests of the patients.

They warned of "risky, potentially unnecessary surgery" which could do more harm than good, and called for more research into the risks and benefits of treating any abnormalities found in such scans.

Dr Rustam Al-Shahi Salman, a Medical Research Council clinician scientist at Edinburgh University, said: "The difficulty with these health check-ups is that in the small number of people who do harbour some undiagnosed brain condition, there is not a clear next step."

He added: "We do not have enough medical evidence to know whether we should treat the abnormalities or just leave them be.

"Until we have that knowledge, we cannot be sure that commercial screening benefits people with incidental findings on their brain scan.

"Furthermore, there is little evidence that 'peace of mind' lasts for the people with normal brain scans."

Ed Yong, Cancer Research UK's head of health evidence and information, said so-called "MOT" brain scans could help apparently healthy patients only "on rare occasions".

He said: "Brain scans can sometimes detect brain tumours in people who seem otherwise well, but the odds of this happening are too small to justify screening healthy people who aren't showing any symptoms.

"Some brain scanning tests are commercially available, often as part of private health check-ups.

"But there is no strong evidence that these tests could save lives, and when certain conditions are detected that are not yet causing symptoms the best way to manage them may not be clear.

"They also cost money, and people may end up paying an extra price in terms of anxiety, further investigations, or uncertain choices."