Healthy Screenings for You and Your Loved Ones
Breast Cancer
Monthly breast self-exams should begin at age 20. From ages 20 to 39, women
should have a clinical breast exam (a nurse or doctor feels your breasts
for suspicious lumps) every three years. At age 40 move to a yearly schedule.
Between the ages of 40 and 50, mammograms may be recommended every 1 to 2
years. Most experts agree that if you are age 50 or older you should have
a mammogram every year and if you are at high risk you should start between
35 and 40.
Colorectal Cancer
Every routine physical exam should include a digital rectal exam, which is
when your doctor feels the rectum for abnormalities. If you are at average
risk, colorectal cancer screening starts for all people at age 50 with a
fecal occult test every year and a sigmoidoscopy every five years. A fecal
occult test detects blood in the stool which is a common symptom of cancer
and a sigmoidoscopy is when your doctor uses a lighted tube to examine the
lower third of the colon. If you are at greater risk, you should have a colonoscopy
every three to five years, starting at age 40 or earlier. A colonoscopy is
similar to a sigmoidoscopy but requires sedation and allows a view of the
entire colon.
Skin Cancer
Fifty-five percent of melanomas are discovered by self-exam so be on the lookout
for suspicious looking moles or lesions. Every three years, from ages 20
to 39, your physician should examine your skin from head to toe. This should
be done every year from age 40 or older or if you are at high risk.
Prostate Cancer
The American Cancer Society recommends that an annual rectal examination be
done on all men over the age of 40 and that all men over the age of 50 have
the PSA blood test done annually. Additionally, men with a family history
of prostate cancer and black men should have the PSA examination yearly starting
at age 40.
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