AFTER 40 / THE EVIDENCE EDIT
Health screenings and scans: which ones are worth asking about?
Understand targeted prevention versus expensive testing without a proven benefit.
Risk-based evidenceUpdated October 2026 · Educational summary · Clinical review not yet completed
Not every scan is prevention
Screenings are useful when tests demonstrate more benefit than harm for people with defined risks. False positives and incidental findings can trigger unnecessary costs or procedures.
Heart scan conversations
Coronary artery calcium testing can sometimes refine cardiovascular risk decisions; it is not an automatic screening test for every adult after 40.
Cancer and bone-health screening
Colorectal screening commonly begins at 45 in average-risk adults. Mammography and bone-density recommendations differ by age, anatomy and risk factors. Talk to a clinician about personalized schedules.
Whole-body MRI caution
Professional radiology organizations have raised concerns about offering routine total-body MRI to healthy people without risk factors because improved outcomes have not been demonstrated.
Questions to bring to your clinician
- Am I in the population for which this screening has shown benefit?
- What are the false-positive risks and follow-up costs?
- Would the result actually change management?
- How does family history or a previous result change my schedule?