Cancer Screening Tests All Women Should Know About

By Stacy Simon Along with giving Mother's Day gifts and sending greetings this year, encourage the moms in your life to get up to date on cancer screening tests. Screening tests look for cancer before a person has any signs or symptoms. Regular screenings can catch some cancers early, when they’re small, have not spread, and are easier to treat. With cervical and colon cancers, these tests can even prevent cancer from developing in the first place. Sweeten the deal by offering to help your mom schedule her screening, drive her to and from appointments, and keep her company in the waiting room. These are the American Cancer Society’s screening recommendations:Breast cancer Women should be able to start the screening as early as age 40, if they want to. It’s a good idea to start talking to your health care provider at age 40 about when you should begin screening.Women with an average risk of breast cancer – most women – should begin yearly mammograms at age 45.At age 55, women should have mammograms every other year – though women who want to keep having yearly mammograms should be able to do so.Regular mammograms should continue for as long as a woman is in good health.Breast exams, either from a medical provider or self-exams, are no longer included in the recommendations because research does not show they provide a clear benefit.Women at high risk – because of family history, a breast condition, or another reason – need t...
Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Prevention/Early Detection Breast Cancer Cervical Cancer Endometrial Cancer Colon/Rectum Cancer Lung Cancer - Non-Small Cell Source Type: news