Cancer Screening

Breast cancer screening guidelines:

• Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer
screening with mammograms (x-rays of the breast) if they wish to do so.
• Women age 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
• Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or can
continue yearly screening.
• Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to
live 10 more years or longer.
• All women should be familiar with the known benefits, limitations, and potential
harms linked to breast cancer screening. Women should also know how their breasts
normally look and feel and report any breast changes to a healthcare provider right away.

Screening for colorectal cancer is the process of identifying apparently healthy people who may be at increased risk of developing this disease. Removing a pre-cancerous polyp prevents the development of colorectal cancer. In addition, if found early, colorectal cancer may be cured in up to 90% of cases. Screening is for people without symptoms. Patients
who experience rectal bleeding, changes in their bowel habits, abdominal pain, or
unexplained weight loss should seek medical attention. Patients who are considering screening for colorectal cancer needs information about
Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) detects very small amounts of blood in stool that may have been shed from a cancer or polyp.
Colonoscopy: this is often considered the goldstandard method of screening for colon
cancer.

Many symptoms of stomach cancers are similar to less serious conditions with early-stage signs being persistent indigestion, heartburn, trapped wind, difficulty swallowing, and vomiting. The more advanced signs include blood in your stools, a swelling or lump in the
stomach, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and jaundice.
Around 90% of stomach cancers appear in people aged over 55. A GP should also refer
you to a specialist if you have indigestion and weight loss. You may need a blood test or a gastroscopy and biopsy, using a narrow flexible tube to examine the inside of the stomach, and possibly take a small tissue sample for testing

It is often hard to find liver cancer early because signs and symptoms often do not appear until it is in its later stages. There are no widely recommended screening tests for liver cancer in people who are not at increased risk. Many patients who develop liver cancer have long-standing cirrhosis. For people at higher risk of liver cancer due to cirrhosis (from any cause) or chronic hepatitis B infection (even without cirrhosis), some experts recommend screening for liver cancer with alphafetoprotein (AFP) blood tests and
ultrasound exams every 6 to 12 months.

The prime symptoms of oesophageal cancer are difficulty swallowing, persistent
indigestion or heartburn, loss of appetite and weight loss. Difficulty swallowing, from the cancer narrowing the oesophagus, is the most common of these symptoms. Diagnosis is best done with an endoscopy, when a thin, flexible tube with
a light and camera is passed into your mouth and down towards the stomach so that a doctor can check for cancer. Small tissue samples – a biopsy – may be removed for testing.

Pancreatic cancer is hard to find early. Sometimes when a person has pancreatic cancer, the levels of certain proteins in the blood go up. These proteins, called tumor markers, can be detected with blood tests. The tumor markers CA19-9 and carcinoembrogenic antigen (CEA) are the ones most closely tied to pancreatic cancer. doesn’t have pancreatic cancer. that might be from pancreatic cancer. Endoscopic ultrasound might be used for someone
with a strong family history of pancreatic cancer or with a known genetic syndrome that increases their risk.

Skin cancer is a common condition.The number of skin cancer cases has been going up over the past few decades.Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to
ultraviolet rays (UV). You don’t need x-rays or blood tests to find skin cancer early – just your eyes and a mirror. If you have skin cancer, finding it early is the best way to make sure it can be treated with success