Cancer imaging is not a single event. It is an ongoing clinical conversation between you, your oncology team and your imaging results. At MBR Health, our Whole Body MRI™ protocol has been co-developed by an internationally recognised team, Mr Ben Kennedy and Dr Zane Sherif, providing radiation-free, high-resolution, whole-body imaging across every phase of oncology care — from initial staging through treatment response monitoring to long-term surveillance and recurrence detection.
Whole-body MRI (also known as total-body or whole-body MRI) uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a powerful computer system to create high-resolution images of the body. Unlike CT and X-ray, whole-body MRI does not use ionising radiation.
In general, whole-body MRI scans are capable of evaluating soft tissue, bone marrow and skeletal disease, providing a comprehensive oncology assessment in a single scan without the cumulative radiation exposure associated with conventional multi-modality imaging pathways.
At MBR Health, Whole Body MRI™ is used across multiple phases of oncology care.
Initial staging determines the extent of disease before treatment begins. Understanding the tumour burden, including whether there are distant metastases, helps guide the initial treatment choices. Treatment response monitoring evaluates how effectively a cancer is responding to therapy. Surveillance imaging detects early recurrence in patients who have completed treatment.
Our exclusive Whole Body MRI™ protocol at MBR Health combines research-grade 3T imaging with advanced sequences including whole-body diffusion weighted imaging with Background Suppression (DWIBS) to identify tumour deposits with exceptional sensitivity across the entire body.
Unlike standard whole-body MRI providers, our proprietary DWIBS protocol incorporates advanced distortion correction — overcoming one of the most significant technical challenges in whole-body diffusion imaging at 3T.
This innovation enables precise co-registration of diffusion and anatomical sequences, ensuring tumour deposits identified on DWIBS can be accurately localised to their anatomical site, reducing diagnostic uncertainty, false positives and false negatives. The result is a measurable enhancement in diagnostic confidence and accuracy that directly informs clinical decision making.
Our innovative Whole Body MRI™ protocol exceeds international acquisition parameters in both resolution and sensitivity, setting a standard beyond current provider capability. Every examination is reported by a specialist radiologist with extensive experience in whole-body MRI using ONCO-RADS structured reporting criteria, providing referring clinicians with a standardised, reproducible framework for oncology assessment and follow-up that is consistent with the highest levels of international oncology imaging practice.
Not all whole-body MRI is equal — and not all whole-body MRI is designed for oncology. Many whole-body MRI providers position this service as a wellness or screening tool. MBR Health’s Whole Body MRI™ is fundamentally different.
It is an oncology-grade diagnostic service, built for clinical staging, treatment response monitoring and surveillance, continuously validated against gold-standard oncology imaging including PET. Every element of our protocol has been deliberately designed to address the technical limitations that affect standard whole-body MRI platforms and meet the diagnostic demands of genuine oncology practice.
Whole Body MRI may be appropriate based on your individual circumstances, regardless of cancer type. Speak with your referring clinician to discuss whether the following situations apply to your care.
Whole-body MRI is an established surveillance tool for individuals with a confirmed or suspected hereditary cancer syndrome, including BRCA1/2, Lynch Syndrome, and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. Similar to Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, emerging evidence suggests whole-body MRI may also be useful for Cowden Syndrome (PTEN mutations) due to multi-organ risk
Individuals with a personal or family history of cancer diagnosed at an unusually young age — with or without a confirmed genetic diagnosis — may benefit from whole-body surveillance imaging. Early onset cancer can signal an underlying hereditary predisposition that has not yet been identified, and whole-body MRI, in particular our Whole Body MRI™ protocol, provides comprehensive radiation-free surveillance across multiple organ systems simultaneously.
Some patients are unable to undergo PET imaging due to pregnancy, renal impairment limiting contrast use, or other clinical contraindications. Whole Body MRI™ provides a clinically valuable alternative for comprehensive oncological assessment in these circumstances, without the radiation exposure of conventional staging pathways.
Where conventional staging imaging has produced equivocal or inconclusive results, further clarification with whole-body MRI may provide additional diagnostic clarity through complementary tissue characterisation.
For patients requiring repeated imaging across a long treatment or life-time surveillance — including those with myeloma, lymphoma, sarcoma or hereditary cancer syndromes — cumulative radiation exposure from serial PET/CT becomes a meaningful clinical concern. Our oncology Whole Body MRI™ offers a radiation-free alternative for ongoing surveillance, allowing repeated imaging without cumulative radiation burden.
Whole-body MRI is indicated across a broad range of cancer types. Unlike PET, it is not dependent on tumour biology or receptor status — making it effective across changing tumour biology throughout treatment. Your oncologist, haematologist or GP will advise whether Whole Body MRI™ is appropriate for your specific situation.
We welcome referrals for cancer types not listed in the below established or emerging indications. Speak with your oncologist or referring clinician to discuss whether our 3T Whole Body MRI™ is appropriate for your situation.
The following cancer types have published literature supporting whole-body MRI as comparable or superior to PET imaging and conventional multi-modality staging pathways.
Breast Cancer
Whole Body MRI™ provides comprehensive staging, treatment response monitoring and recurrence assessment for breast cancer. It is increasingly recognised as a valuable modality for invasive lobular carcinoma, which is frequently poorly avid on PET imaging and may be significantly underestimated by conventional staging pathways. It is also indicated for Luminal A and mucinous breast carcinoma subtypes where PET avidity is variable.
Haematological Cancers
Haematological cancers represent the strongest and most evidence-supported indications for Whole Body MRI™. Internationally recommended as the preferred staging modality for multiple myeloma, our Whole Body MRI™ offers superior bone marrow sensitivity compared to conventional skeletal survey, CT and PET. For lymphoma, published literature demonstrates comparable performance to PET/CT with a significant radiation advantage, particularly valuable for low-grade subtypes including follicular lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma that are frequently poorly avid on FDG-PET.
Sarcoma
Sarcoma is a well-supported indication for whole-body MRI, particularly myxoid liposarcoma, a subtype that is classically FDG-PET negative for which whole-body MRI is the recommended staging modality. For soft tissue and bone sarcomas including osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, published literature demonstrates comparable performance to PET/CT with a significant radiation-reduction advantage, particularly relevant in the paediatric and young adult populations most commonly affected.
Prostate Cancer
Whole-body MRI provides comprehensive assessment of nodal involvement, bone marrow metastases and soft tissue disease in prostate cancer in a single radiation-free examination. Published literature supports comparable performance to conventional bone scintigraphy and CT for bone metastasis detection, with superior soft tissue and marrow sensitivity. It is particularly valuable where PSMA avidity is limited or where comprehensive soft tissue and marrow assessment is required alongside nodal evaluation.
Neuroendocrine
Tumours Whole Body MRI™ provides comprehensive assessment of hepatic metastatic burden, nodal involvement and bone disease in neuroendocrine tumours, complementing Ga-68 DOTATATE PET where indicated. It is particularly valuable for liver metastasis characterisation and longitudinal surveillance of tumour burden over time.
Paediatric Cancers
Full-body MRI’s radiation-free nature makes it particularly meaningful for children and adolescents, where minimising cumulative radiation exposure across repeated imaging is a clinical priority. Full-body MRI is well-recognised for staging and surveillance across a range of paediatric malignancies including Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and paediatric lymphoma, with published literature demonstrating comparable performance to PET/CT.
Our high-fidelity, high-resolution Whole Body MRI™ protocol is optimised for oncological assessment across a broad range of cancer types. The following indications represent areas where our protocol is increasingly being applied:
We welcome referrals and clinical discussions for cancer types not listed here. Speak with your oncologist or referring clinician to discuss whether MBR Health’s 3T Whole Body MRI™ is appropriate for your situation.
Dr Zane Sherif & Mr ben kennedy Dr Zane Sherif and Mr Ben Kennedy co-founded Whole Body MRI™, combining clinical leadership in radiology with deep expertise in MRI sequence development and clinical research. Together they drive a rigorous, evidence-based approach to whole-body screening, spanning protocol optimisation, objective outcome measurement and novel diagnostic imaging.
Supported by our Senior Radiographers,
Sonographers and Clinical Team.
Prior to your appointment, you will be asked to complete a health and medical history form and an MRI safety questionnaire. This ensures our team is fully informed of any clinical factors that may affect your examination and that your scan is performed safely.
For oncology indications, please ensure our team has access to prior imaging reports and PET or CT scans before your appointment. This allows us to interpret your Whole Body MRI™ findings within the full context of your diagnostic history. Please arrange for these to be sent in advance or bring them with you on the day.
To optimise image quality, patients are asked to follow specific preparation instructions prior to their whole-body MRI examination with MBR Health, which may include fasting, caffeine restriction and bowel preparation. Our team will provide detailed instructions when you book.
Please arrive at the time provided by our reception team, typically 30 minutes prior to your scheduled examination, to allow time for paperwork and preparation before your scan begins.
On arrival our team will confirm your paperwork and answer any additional questions you may have. You will be provided with comfortable bamboo loungewear to wear during your examination. Our team will ask what movies or television you would like to watch on our in-scan audio-visual platform and confirm your MRI safety screening before you enter the scanner room.
Our MRI team will assist you to get comfortable and provide you with a hand held device to alert the control room for any reason during your scan. You will then lie on a motorised table that moves gently through the scanner. You will be provided with earplugs and head-wear that enables you to watch a movie, TV show, or listen to music during your scan.
During your scan our MRI radiographers will monitor you at all times and will regularly communicate with you via a two-way intercom. While the scan is underway the MRI produces rhythmic tapping sounds which change with each sequence. Occasionally we will ask you to participate in short breath holds during imaging of the chest and upper abdomen to ensure the clearest possible images. Lying as still as possible throughout your examination is important for achieving the highest diagnostic image quality. In some cases intravenous contrast may be administered during your scan — our team will advise you if this is required for your specific protocol and will explain what to expect beforehand.
Intravenous contrast is routinely administered during your examination unless contraindicated or declined. Our team will discuss contrast administration with you prior to your scan, including any relevant risks or considerations specific to your medical history.
Our whole-body MRI scan is expected to take between 90 – 100 minutes of scan time.
If you have opted for our multi-modality oncology imaging package, our CT team will guide you through your Spectral CT chest examination for detailed lung evaluation and any additional imaging requested. You will then be invited to get changed back into your own clothes and are welcome to enjoy a complimentary barista-style coffee before you leave.
Your report will be prepared by a highly-experienced whole-body reporting radiologist, Dr Zane Sherif, and sent directly to your referring doctor. Reports are typically available within 5 to 7 business days, though some complex oncology studies may take up to 10 business days to finalise. Your report and images will also be accessible through the MBR Health patient portal. We recommend making an appointment with your referring doctor to discuss the report and next steps for your care.