Screening for Cancer Needs to Be a Priority

Most adults are getting recommended breast and colon (colorectal) cancer screenings. Screening for serious chronic disorders can allow your doctors to diagnose these diseases earlier when there has been less damage to organs, and this can preserve your quality of life. Yet more than 22 million adults have not had screening tests for colon cancer, and more than 7 million women have not had a recent mammogram to screen for breast cancer as recommended, according to reports in CDC Vital Signs.

Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, diagnosed in more than 130,000 new patients each year. For most people, the lifetime risk for developing colon cancer is about six percent, but the risk is more pronounced for those with hereditary colon cancer syndrome.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer screening should begin at age 50. Regular fecal testing or periodic (every 5 to 10 years) sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy is recommended. Colon cancer screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer, thus preventing the disease. Screening tests can also find colon cancer early, when treatment works best. But only about one-third of Americans are following these recommendations, either because they are uninsured, uninformed, or want to avoid the unpleasantness of the test itself.

CDC statistics show that aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Almost 200,000 women are diagnosed each year, with over 40,000 dying from the disease every year. Currently there is controversy over the intervals in which breast cancer screening should occur. Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society stated last December that, “breast cancer screening saves lives and women aged 40 and above should get a high quality mammogram and clinical breast exam on an annual basis.” However the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) advises that women wait until age 50 to begin mammography screening.

The best way to find breast cancer is by having a mammogram (an X-ray of the breasts). Mammograms can find breast cancer early, before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms and when it is easier to treat. About one of five women between the ages of 50 and 74 has not had a mammogram in the past two years. This may be because their doctor didn't tell them to get one, they don't have insurance and can't afford one, or they don't think mammograms work.

Are you getting routine cancer checks? If not, make an appointment today with your doctor. Do not become a statistic.