The Rise of the ‘Just in Case’ M.R.I.

Last year, Thomas Hogan, a Texas software C.E.O., began to experience gastrointestinal issues. During an M.R.I. scan clinicians discovered what they said was a benign cyst in his spleen; nothing to worry about. Still his discomfort continued.

A concerned friend booked Hogan, 66, an appointment with the personalized health start-up Prenuvo, which charged Hogan $2,500 for an additional 60-minute M.R.I. scan. Three days later, he was on the phone with a Prenuvo clinician.

“They said, ‘You need to get in to see an oncologist,’” Hogan recalled. “‘It would appear that you’ve got a tumor on your spleen.’” It was stage IV cancer.