Types of screenings Providers can spot breast cancer with a mammogram and lung cancer with a low-dose CT scan. Both are standard X-ray imaging procedures. A colonoscopy is also an imaging procedure. Providers insert a camera into the colon to look for abnormal growths. The patient is usually sedated. Cervical cancer screenings involve cell samples collected from the cervix during a routine Pap smear. Experts analyze the cells under a microscope to look for significant changes. Prostate cancer screening involves a blood test to check for rising or elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Your primary care provider or a dermatologist will perform a visual examination of your skin for moles, pigmentations, or other irregular marks to determine skin cancer risk. When to start screenings The American Cancer Society recommends yearly breast, colon, and prostate cancer screenings by 45 and regular Pap smears by 21. (Kettering Health and the American College of Radiology recommend mammograms by age 40.) Annual lung cancer screenings are recommended starting at 50. However, age is only one part of the equation. Family medical history and personal risk factors are just as important. “As we get older, cancer becomes more common, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer for when to start screening,” explains E. Ronald Hale, MD, MPH, the medical director for Radiation Oncology at Kettering Health. “There can be nuances that indicate specific screenings should begin at a younger age.” For example, if a woman has a family history of breast cancer, she may schedule annual mammograms beginning in her 30s instead of waiting until 40. Cigarette smokers are advised to begin lung cancer screenings at younger ages, too. YOUR BEST DEFENSE Talk with your primary care provider about cancer screenings. Visit ketteringhealth.org/cancercare to learn more about your options. SCREENABLE CANCERS Early detection can make all the difference when diagnosed with cancer. Routine screenings can identify six forms in their earliest stages: breast, cervical, colon, lung, prostate, and skin cancer. Preventive care 6 ketteringhealth.org
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