FAQ

Whole-Body Diffusion is an examination that has no side effects or contraindications. Only exception: it cannot be performed in pacemakers and women in the first trimester of pregnancy.

At the ASC centre, all healthy/asymptomatic subjects who want to integrate the conventional screening offered by public health service with a state-of-the-art, non-invasive MRI examination, which has the purpose of oncological prevention, can undergo the DWB examination: the most comprehensive scan available today.

Certain clinical conditions (old metal implants, stents, etc.) may not be compatible with DWB. Individual cases will be verified by the physicist and the specialist radiologist, before booking the examination. For this, a questionnaire is required. Contact us on 035 0433106, send an email to info@asc-italia.it or fill out the appropriate form

DWB at ASC is performed for the early detection of malignant tumours.

According to the most recent data in the scientific literature, DWB has a sensitivity of approximately 90% for the detection of malignant tumours (primary or metastatic), i.e. it is able to identify 90 out of 100 malignant tumour lesions; this means that 1 in 10 tumours are not detected.

This percentage is very high, comparable to that of a PET scan: compared to this, DWB has the advantage of being completely harmless, because it does not expose the patient to radiation, nor is the injection of contrast necessary.

At ASC, DWB is performed exclusively for the early diagnosis of malignant tumours and non-cancerous diseases may not be identified (e.g. cardiovascular or orthopaedic diseases, etc.). It is important to note that MRI Whole-Body Diffusion is not designed to replace standard cancer screening examinations (e.g. mammography, Pap test, PSA, faecal occult blood screening/colonoscopy), as tumours in such organs (breast, uterus, prostate, colorectal) may not be detected. Finally, with the MRI Whole-Body Diffusion it is not possible to identify malignancies whose diagnosis is exclusively clinical (skin cancers or leukaemia), nor can it ever replace the clinical assessment of your doctor or a specialist.

You will be able to book the Whole-Body Diffusion examination in approximately 8-10 days. This timeframe extends to about 20 days if you want to undergo the DWB examination complete with consultation and radiological visit with Prof Giuseppe Petralia.

Examinations at a discounted rate follow a dedicated list.

No, the DWB examination does not require any preparation. It is not necessary to fast or prepare in any specific way before the examination. You can resume normal activities immediately after the test.

The actual length of the examination, from the time of placing the person inside the machine, is about 30-35 minutes. All in all, the investigation takes approximately one hour, taking into account the admission practices, the preliminary interviews with the doctor in charge of the history (i.e. the detailed collection of clinical information) and concluding the paperwork in the secretary’s office.

It takes about 7 working days to process and conclude the report: it includes a written report and a DVD with all the recorded images, even in 3D. At the time of acceptance, you can choose whether to collect the examination in person or request shipment by courier at the expense of ASC.

In the case of the Whole-Body Diffusion examination complete with consultation and radiological visit with Prof Petralia, the report is immediate.

It is recommended to repeat DWB every 12 months, in order to maximise the benefits of early cancer detection. This is already the case for standard screening offered by Public Health and managed with the general practitioner (mammography and Pap test for women, occult blood test for men and women).

For further information or questions, you can send an email to: info@asc-italia.it or fill out the form leaving your contact details. We will arrange a telephone appointment or answer any doubts/questions/queries. Or, call +39 035 0433106

No, as it is an early diagnostic test, with no biological cost, offered to asymptomatic people and operating on a solvency basis, and no doctor’s referral is required.

The report can be collected at the Centre from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM or can be sent by courier to the address of residence or other address given during acceptance on the day of the examination.

The report is very simple, because it consists of a detailed part (in which the observations for each body region are described) and a summarised part (in which the clinical conclusions and any clinical actions to be taken are outlined). The report can be submitted to your doctor or a specialist, who can possibly answer any queries. If the report provides findings, even non-serious ones, for which an in-depth analysis is suggested, our radiologist doctors will call you and better explain the issue and how we recommend proceeding. In the case of a DWB examination complete with radiological visit and consultation, the report is immediate and illustrated directly by Prof Giuseppe Petralia, signatory of all the reports.

They are classified as established by the international ONCO-RADS guidelines, which stands for Oncologically Relevant Findings Reporting and Data System:

• ONCO-RADS category 1: normal findings
• ONCO-RADS category 2: very likely benign findings
• ONCO-RADS category 3: probably benign findings
• ONCO-RADS category 4: probably malignant findings
• ONCO-RADS category 5: very likely malignant findings

The standard cost of the Whole-Body Diffusion examination is €1,200 (rate in force from 01/01/2023).

It is possible to book the DWB examination complete with consultation and radiological visit with Professor Giuseppe Petralia at the cost of €1,400 (rate in force from 01/01/2023).

Cardiovascular diseases still constitute one of the most significant public health problems in Italy and are among the main causes of disability and mortality. Monitoring the condition of the heart and blood vessels is very important and ASC has chosen to make a package of examinations available, recommended by international guidelines.

No, a doctor’s referral is not required.

Cardiovascular examinations are organised by appointment, according to the requests and availability of specialists.

The cardiological review does not require any specific preparation. It is advisable to bring with you the reports of the last tests performed, your clinical documentation and the list of any drugs you are on. It is advisable to wear comfortable clothing, especially if it is necessary to perform the stress test, have a light meal beforehand, and avoid smoking or alcohol. It is important not to discontinue any medication. For certain cardiological examinations, in order to improve the adhesion of pads to the skin, in male patients, hair removal of the anterior part of the chest, and the central part of the area below the left nipple may be necessary.

Cardiovascular diagnostic tests are performed in the presence of the two medical specialists; therefore, the interview and the results of the tests are immediate and are explained directly by them. Except for the Holter, which will be applied to the person for the established time, therefore it will be necessary to download the data, which will be processed in a report by the doctor and returned to the patient after about 7/8 working days (timescale given by way of indication).

We have complete packages, but the specialist doctor evaluates whether it is necessary to proceed with all the examinations contained in it or whether a smaller number of examinations will be sufficient. The cost, therefore, corresponds to the examinations performed.

The Vascular Package, which includes the colour Doppler ultrasound in all the bodily regions, has a maximum cost of €600. The Cardiology Package, which includes all the cardiological examinations offered by ASC has a maximum cost of €800.

No, the ASC Centre is not affiliated with the National Health Service. It is an authorised Diagnostic Centre, which operates on a solvency basis. The Management Committee reserves a certain number of examinations at a reduced rate, presenting an ISEE Certification of less than €25,000 (only for residents of Italy).

Yes, agreements with private organisations are possible. ASC works with some Welfare portals and is available to define conventions/packages. It has no direct agreements with insurance groups or funds, but we always suggest that you inquire whether total body MRI is among the reimbursable examinations. If you are a private organisation or a person interested in creating an agreement, contact us by email: info@asc-italia.it or by phone at +39 035 0433106

At the time of acceptance, prior to the visit, it is necessary to present:

• identity document
• tax code or regional service card (regional health card)
• any recent previous examinations, in particular imaging examinations for the DWB examination, blood tests or previous cardiovascular visits.

The examination can be paid by cheques, bank transfer, ATM, credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), cash (remember that with payment in cash you lose the right to tax deduction).

ASC Italia is a company set up to create a Diagnostic Centre, the only one of its kind in Europe, dealing with advanced early diagnosis in oncology. This is where Whole-Body Diffusion, an MRI examination performed on the whole body, is performed, allowing for the early detection of malignant tumours. Tests for early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease have also been included over time. The ASC centre, which currently has two MR devices, is operational in Castelli Calepio (BG) – Italy, in Via Aldo Moro, 68.

The ASC centre is easily accessible by car, as it is located a few kilometres from two highway exits of the A4: Ponte Oglio and Grumello. View directions (https://asc-italia.it/en/contacts/). The centre is about 20 km from the airport of Orio al Serio (BG) and about 50 km from the airport of Milan Linate. The nearest train station is Grumello del Monte, about 3 km away.

These are two completely unrelated entities from a business/administrative point of view. ASC is supported by the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan, founded by Umberto Veronesi, and, in particular, by specialist radiologists, first and foremost Prof Giuseppe Petralia, who, in collaboration with the international scientific community, have promoted and developed the Whole-Body Diffusion in a large number of cases in Italy. At the ASC Centre, the examinations are performed by specially trained medical radiology technicians and radiology doctors, with the advice and clinical and scientific supervision of the same IEO specialists who worked on the development of this scan.

The medical-healthcare personnel at the ASC Centre is made up of:

• medical radiology health technicians
• radiologist physicians
• DWB “reporting” radiologists
• medical specialists, such as Cardiologists and Vascular Surgeons
• Healthcare Director

The ASC centre is located in Castelli Calepio, Via Aldo Moro, 68, GPS coordinates 45°38’14.5″N 9°53’40.5″E – 45.637361, 9.894570. The ASC centre is about 20 km from Bergamo (20 min by car from the airport of Orio al Serio – BG) and about 30 km from Brescia.

You can contact us by phone at +39 035 0433106, send an email to info@asc-italia.it or fill out the appropriate form in the Contact us section.

The ASC Centre specialises in the early diagnosis of cancer, through the Whole-Body Diffusion examination. In line with its emphasis on the importance of early diagnosis, it has included tests dedicated to the cardiovascular system. View the complete list in the dedicated sections: Whole-Body Diffusion https://asc-italia.it/en/whole-body-diffusion/ and Cardio-Vascular Diagnostics https://asc-italia.it/en/cardiovascular-diagnostic/ .

So-called “primary” prevention is based on healthy lifestyle behaviours (proper diet, physical activity, avoidance of cigarette smoking) that, according to scientific studies, protect against the onset of cancer. Early detection, on the other hand, consists of detecting malignant tumours as soon as possible through specific tests. Those recommended by the National Health Service are, for example, mammography for breast cancer, Pap test for cervical cancer and occult blood screening and colonoscopy for colorectal cancer. Whole-Body Diffusion does not replace these tests, but complements them, because it allows you to examine all the other organs not assessed by “official” screens, and to identify even very small tumours (3-4 millimetres in diameter).

It is widely demonstrated that the earlier a cancer is detected, the greater the chances of treatment and cure, with fewer treatment side effects and a better quality of life for the person undergoing treatment. And the same applies to cardiovascular diseases, among the main causes of mortality and disability. Therefore, ASC has decided to make a package of examinations, recommended by international guidelines, available to the public to monitor the condition of the heart and blood vessels.

This label refers to an MRI technique that aims to detect the occurrence of malignant tumours as small as a few millimetres in the whole body (from the vertex to mid-thighs, including the proximal portion of the upper limbs) in a single session, according to ONCO-RADS guidelines. It is an innovative, highly sophisticated examination. Creating three-dimensional and panoramic reconstructions of the whole body, it has proven to be a valuable diagnostic tool, because it is capable of detecting very small malignant tumour areas of 3-4 millimetres. This offers the chance to take early action with appropriate treatments.

DWB is a crucial resource, which has everything it takes to complement and complete the arsenal of common cancer screening examinations (such as mammography, Pap test and faecal occult blood detection, PSA). But it is also a safe device, because it has the great advantage of not using ionising radiation or contrast media, also providing diagnostic results comparable to those obtained with CT (Computed Tomography) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography). The harmlessness of DWB as well as its versatile ability to scan human tissues with a hi-tech eye, searching for occult malignant lesions, led the Castelli Calepio ASC Centre to believe in and invest in a mission: to propose this advanced MRI to the population of healthy individuals.

Whole-Body Diffusion is based on a simple physical phenomenon, described by Albert Einstein in 1905: the diffusion of water molecules. DWB detects the diffusion and movement of water molecules between body cells. When they are “trapped” in a hypercellular tissue (whose cells, that is, are very dense, crowded, as is the case with tumours), H2O molecules show restricted diffusion and faster movements. These areas are “bright” in the images obtained with this particular Magnetic Resonance scan. This makes it possible to distinguish the tumour areas from the surrounding healthy tissues and therefore makes it possible to detect lesions measuring a few millimetres.

What makes DWB so innovative is the possibility of studying the human body in its entirety:

1. without injecting contrast fluids or administering ionising radiation
2. in a short time (we are talking about thirty minutes)
3. with high diagnostic performance.

The examination, moreover, requires no preparation (no need to fast) and involves no subjective discomfort: the person lies comfortably on a couch, listens to music throughout the examination and is in constant audio-visual contact with the operator.

Whole-Body Diffusion has demonstrated, according to data from the international medical-scientific literature, performance comparable to that of other diagnostic examinations widely used in oncology, such as computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET), which, however, expose patients to ionising radiation and require the intravenous injection of a contrast agent. The diagnostic procedure adheres to the International Guidelines on DWB (called ONCO-RADS, which stands for Oncologically Relevant Findings Reporting and Data System), published in 2021 and developed with input from ASC, accepted and shared by scientists worldwide.

For the patient, almost none. Technically, the Whole-Body Diffusion is an examination using commercially available equipment, fitted out with top-of-the-range accessories and details and specifically configured for the diagnosis of tumours. The development of this technology is the result of more than two decades of work, conducted in Italy by the European Institute of Oncology, especially by Prof Giuseppe Petralia, working in teams with radiologists and physicists from all over the world.

No. It should be emphasised that the DWB in no way replaces the traditional screening provided by our Health Service and which is now well-established (let us recall them once again: mammography and Pap test for female cancers, occult blood test/colonoscopy for colo-rectal cancer, PSA check), but it adds to this “package” by supplementing it, precisely because it can screen in a single session all the other organs not screened by those examinations: in particular, liver, bones, pancreas, kidneys and urinary apparatus (the DWB also represents an excellent “check” for skin cancers). Such a method offers the possibility of identifying tumour lesions before they cause discomfort and allows the therapeutic arsenal to be deployed with crucial timeliness and superior efficacy.

Since the beginning of its activity, ASC has rigorously collected data of great academic importance, making information from the examinations of its asymptomatic patients available to the research community, information that is destined to enrich the worldwide oncological literature. An initial pilot study of 400 subjects has been published and will be released in 2019, and a recent survey is currently being published, in which 1,300 cases were analysed and monitored for one year (after the examination was carried out) to check the correctness of the negative or positive diagnosis obtained. The survey in question reports the presence of ascertained malignant tumours in approximately 2% of the cases examined, a rate that closely circumscribes the trend highlighted by international findings that generally speak of a value ranging from 1% to 3%.

Because it is an effective, risk-free and safe early diagnostic examination, that is, as they say, at zero biological cost, since it does not emit ionising radiation (but uses a magnetic field) and does not involve the use of intravenous contrast. As mentioned above, it enables the analysis of all organs defined as “orphan” because they are not subject to classic screening and, if performed regularly, offers a significant and reassuring chance of prevention. When it comes to health, you must not let yourself be swayed by the thought that “the less I know, the better off I am.” The body must be listened to and monitored, because it is well known: the earlier a tumour is nipped in the bud, the greater the likelihood of eradicating it. And for the patient to recover.