CONDITIONS
The best defense against disease is early detection
Summers Anti-Aging Center screens for thousands of medical conditions and diseases to give you piece of mind about your health.
39% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime
Explore common conditions
Kidney Cancer
2.2%
2
- Stage I: 93%
- Stage IV: 15%
- All stages: 77%
- Blood in urine
- Unexplained weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Whole-body MRI
- Two-thirds of people are diagnosed when the cancer is located only in the kidney
- Smoking tobacco doubles the risk of developing kidney cancer
Kidney cancer does not display many symptoms in its early stages, making whole-body MRI a useful tool in screening for kidney cancer. Genetic testing is another important tool for assessing risk because there are over a dozen unique genes that increase the risk of developing kidney cancer. These genes account for about 5 percent of new kidney cancer cases.
Larynx Cancer
0.4
2
- Stage I: 78%
- Stage IV: 39%
- All stages: 61%
- Persistent hoarse voice
- Throat pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Whole-body MRI
- Direct visualization
- 52% of patients are diagnosed before the cancer has spread outside the larynx
- Smoking accounts for over 70% of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and up to 89% when combined with alcohol
- 90% of laryngeal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma
The gold standard for diagnosing larynx cancer is direct visualization, but whole-body MRI can assess the larynx well. In the early stages, larynx cancer can easily be mistaken for the common cold or a sore throat, since the earliest symptoms typically include a cough, persistent sore throat, and hoarseness.
Gallbladder Cancer
0.5%
3
- Stage I: 66%
- Stage IV: 2%
- All stages: 20%
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Unexplained weight loss
- Whole-body MRI
- Only 1 in 5 gallbladder cancer cases are diagnosed in Stage I
- Can be cured by surgically removing the gallbladder if caught early
There is no routine screening for gallbladder cancer, so most diagnosed cases are either Stage III or IV, which often is too late. Once gallbladder cancer has spread to other organs such as the lungs, patients only have a 2 percent average 5 year survival. Detecting gallbladder cancer in Stage I rather than Stage IV increases the average five year survival by over 30x, demonstrating the importance of whole-body MRI screening for gallbladder cancer.
Colorectal Cancer
4.3%
2.3
- Stage I: 91%
- Stage IV: 14%
- All stages: 65%
- Changes in bowel habits
- Blood in stool
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Colonoscopy
- Blood test
- Whole-body MRI
- Precancerous polyps can take up to 10 years to develop
- By 2040, new colorectal cancer cases will increase by 63% and deaths will increase by 73%
- The second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide
The gold standard for screening colorectal cancer is a colonoscopy. A whole-body MRI can be useful for patients who do not want a colonoscopy or for patients who refuse to have a colonoscopy or have tortious bowels. Colorectal cancer average five year survival drops from 91 percent in Stage I to 14 percent in Stage IV, highlighting the importance of early detection.
Prostate Cancer
13%
1.7
- Stage I: 99%
- Stage IV: 28%
- All stages: 97%
- Urinary changes
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pelvic pain or discomfort
- PSMA-PET
- Whole-body MRI
- Blood test
- Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)
- Prostate cancer can be cured if detected and treated early
- More than 90% of prostate cancer cases are discovered in the early stages
- 20-30% of prostate cancer patients will show signs of recurrence in their life
The gold standard for non-invasive prostate cancer detection in men is PSMA-PET, but MRI has been shown in several studies to be just as effective. Most cases of prostate cancer grow slowly, but there are some aggressive forms of prostate cancer that pose a greater threat to survivability.
Thyroid Cancer
1.1%
1.7
- Stage I: 99%
- Stage IV: 28%
- All stages: 98%
- Neck lump
- Changes in voice
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Ultrasound
- Whole-body MRI
- Blood test
- Exposure to radiation is a known risk factor for thyroid cancer
- 3x more common in women than in men
Thyroid cancer can grow over several years with little to no symptoms. Fortunately, thyroid cancer has a more favorable prognosis, with an average five year survival of 89 percent. Blood tests can monitor T3, T4 and TSH levels to help detect thyroid cancer, but ultrasound and MRI remain the gold standard for diagnosis.
