Busy Philipps revealed something shocking Aug. 26: She had surgery to remove a brain tumor. And she only discovered it thanks to a full-body MRI.
"I’m grateful that I’m alive," Philipps, 47, exclusively told People. She added it was "the weirdest six months of my life." You may have also probably read about former "Bachelorette" star Joe Amabile and his own brain tumor journey.
Philipps didn't have symptoms of any kind, but the Prenuvo full-body scan had intrigued her. You've probably seen countless celebrities sharing photos in sleek pajamas with the bright, booming technology in the background. Why wouldn't you want to find out if something was wrong with you? That was extra true for Philipps, who watched her friend and fellow "Dawson's Creek"
alum James Van der Beek die of colon cancer in February. Her primary care doctor told her that her bloodwork had been fine after her annual physical and she didn't need the scan.
But humans crave reassurance. And when social media algorithms feed that reassurance, it's easy to see why these tests seem smart to try.
More than 87% of influencer posts on social media about tests including full-body MRI, multi-cancer early detection tests and more offered a positive spin, according to a JAMA study published in February 2025; about 84% were overt promotions.
Ultimately, though, Philipps indeed had something. A brain lesion that turned out to be grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a slow-growing tumor responsive to treatment, according to Cleveland Clinic. If they hadn't discovered it until later, the removal process would've been trickier.
"It is considered malignant, but it has the best prognosis of all of the malignant gliomas," Dr. Alexandra Miller, Philipps' neuro-oncologist at NYU Langone, told People. "It’s sort of defined as a cancerous tumor based on the ability of the tumor to regrow over time, rather than it looking very malignant under the microscope."
She went under the knife to remove it, but not without incident. Philipps needed a second surgery after developing a staph infection. That's something experts in this field warn about: When you find something and take action, you're also risking complications.
Should you get a full-body MRI like a Prenuvo scan?
You may be asking yourself whether such a scan is worth it. Research shows these tests often find something, but much less often find actual disease. One study in 2020 found that 95% of asymptomatic patients had some type of "abnormal" finding, but just 1.8% of these findings were indeed cancer. Research has varied on just how many incidental findings occur from these tests.
In general, "whole body MRI is in its clinical infancy," Dr. Manjiri Dighe, professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, previously told USA TODAY. "While it is noninvasive and highly sensitive, it lacks the large-scale longitudinal data needed to prove that it saves more lives than it complicates through overdiagnosis." With low availability and high cost, for the average person, it remains a luxury item not an "evidence-based medical necessity," Dighe says. The tests range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on which sections of the body are scanned, and are not covered by insurance.
In clinical practice, "I don't personally see a lot of incidental lesions that are found on whole body MRI that I end up intervening on," Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio, associate professor of neurological surgery at UCSF, previously told USA TODAY. "But I probably have colleagues that do, and so I don't want to say it doesn't happen ever, but I think it's incredibly rare."
Overall, DiGiorgio is skeptical that full-body MRIs will meaningfully improve public health but says people can certainly pursue it if they're willing to pay for it.
Philipps has questioned whether any intense emotions she's felt over the last few years – and a sense of calm now – had to do with her tumor, but there's no way of knowing.
It's up to you whether you want such a scan. Listen to your body, Philipps told People. "There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering." It's worth weighing that with advice from your medical provider and any additional research.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Busy Philipps found a rare tumor thanks to this full-body scan. Do you need one?
