Busy Philipps Undergoes Surgery for Grade 2 Brain Tumor After Full-Body MRI Finds Lesion
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 26
Busy Philipps Undergoes Surgery for Grade 2 Brain Tumor After Full-Body MRI Finds Lesion
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 26
Summary
People reported Aug. 26 that Busy Philipps, 47, had surgery to remove a grade 2 oligodendroglioma after a full-body MRI found a brain lesion despite no symptoms.
A second operation followed when Philipps developed a staph infection, underscoring the trade-off doctors cite when incidental findings lead to treatment.
Research on full-body MRI remains mixed: a 2020 study found 95% of asymptomatic patients had an abnormal finding, but only 1.8% of those findings were cancer.
Doctors say whole-body MRI is still in its clinical infancy, with limited evidence it saves more lives than it risks through overdiagnosis; scans can cost several hundred to several thousand dollars and usually are not insured.