Girls should start getting Pap tests at age 21.
Men, aged 45 and above, are at higher risk of prostate cancer.
Women who are 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer should get a mammogram every two years.
Dr Minish Jain, director of medical oncology, Ruby Hall Clinic, highlights the need and importance of early screening to detect and prevent cancer.
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Ensuring early detection is critical in the battle against cancer and regular screenings play a pivotal role in identifying potential risks and abnormalities.
For both men and women, adopting a proactive approach to healthcare through recommended cancer screening tests is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
From breast and cervical examinations for women to prostate and colorectal screenings for men, these tests are instrumental in detecting cancer in its early, most treatable stages.
The main goals of cancer screening are:
- To reduce the number of people who die from the disease.
- Prevent cancer deaths altogether.
- To reduce the number of people who develop the disease.
What are cancer screening tests?
Screening means checking your body for cancer before you have symptoms.
Regular screening tests may help detect breast, cervical and colorectal (colon) cancers early, when treatment is likely to work best.
Let's look at the top cancer screening tests available for men and women.
1. Breast Cancer
Mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer early.
It is easier to treat in the initial stages before it is big enough for you to feel or cause symptoms to the body.
Breast cancer screening means checking a woman’s breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease.
The screening cannot prevent breast cancer; it can help find breast cancer early when it is easier to treat.
Who should screen for breast cancer?
It's recommended that women who are 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer get a mammogram every two years.
Women who are 40 to 49 years old should talk to their doctor about when to start and how often to get a mammogram.
Women should weigh the benefits and risks of screening tests when deciding whether to begin getting mammograms before the age of 50.
Breast Cancer Screening Tests
Mammogram
A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. For many women, mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.
Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer.
Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A breast MRI is used along with mammograms to screen women who are at high risk for getting breast cancer.
Clinical Breast Exam
A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or other changes.
Breast Self-Awareness
Being familiar with how your breasts look and feel can help you notice symptoms such as lumps, pain or changes in size that may be of concern. These could include changes found during a breast self-exam.
You should report any changes that you notice to your doctor.
Benefits of screening
The benefit of screening is to detect signs of cancer early so it's easier to treat.
Risks of screening
False positive test results can lead to more tests which can be expensive, invasive, time-consuming and may also cause anxiety.
Similarly, overtreatment can include treatments recommended for breast cancer, such as surgery or radiation therapy.
Other potential harms from breast cancer screening include pain during procedures and radiation exposure from the mammogram test itself.
False negative test results may delay finding a cancer and getting treatment.
2. Cervical Cancer
The HPV test and the Pap test can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early.
The HPV test looks for the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause cell changes in the cervix.
The Pap smear looks for pre-cancer cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately.
Who should screen for cervical cancer?
Girls should ideally start getting Pap tests at age 21. If your Pap test result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait three years until your next Pap test.
If you are 30 to 65 years old, consult your doctor about which testing option is right for you.
- HPV test only: This is called primary HPV testing. If your result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait five years until your next screening.
- HPV test along with Pap test: This is called co-testing. If both of your results are normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait five years until your next screening.
- Pap test only: If your result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait three years until your next Pap screening.
If you are older than 65 years, you don’t need to be screened any more if:
- You have had at least three Pap tests or two HPV tests in the past 10 years, and the test results were normal or negative.
- You have not had a cervical precancer in the past.
- You have had your cervix removed as part of a total hysterectomy for non-cancerous conditions like fibroids.
3. Lung Cancer
A yearly lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for people who have a history of heavy smoking or have quit within the past 15 years and are between 50 and 80 years of age.
The only recommended screening test for lung cancer is LDCT. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful.
Who should screen for lung cancer?
Lung cancer screening with LDCT yearly for those who:
- Have a smoking history of a 20-pack-year or more.
- Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years.
- Are between 50 and 80 years old.
A pack-year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. (One pack = 20 cigarettes)
For example, a person could have a 20-pack-year history of smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.
When to stop screening?
Screening for lung cancer can be discontinued under the following conditions:
- The individual has turned 81 years old, or
- Has not smoked in 15 or more years, or
- Has developed a health problem that makes him or her unwilling or unable to have surgery if lung cancer is found.
4. Colorectal (Colon) Cancer
Colorectal cancer almost always develops from precancerous polyps (a tissue growth) in the colon or rectum.
Screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer.
Who should screen for colon cancer?
Regular screening, beginning at age 45, up to 75 years is the key to preventing colorectal cancer or finding it early. However, you may need to be tested earlier than age 45, or more often than other people, if you have:
- Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
- A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps.
- A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
Screening tests
- Stool tests (FOBT)
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- CT Colonography (virtual colonoscopy)
5. Prostate Cancer Testing
After the age of 45, men are at higher risk of prostate cancer.
If you are aged 45 and above, consult with a doctor about the uncertainties, risks and potential benefits of testing. This includes men with close family members (father, brother, son) who may have had prostate cancer before the age of 65.
Men with more than one close relative who has/had prostate cancer before the age of 65 are at even higher risk and should talk with a doctor about testing at the age of 40.
An individual's overall health status, and not age alone, is important when making decisions about prostate cancer testing.
A simple screening test at the right age can easily prolong your life by a decade or more.
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