Know thyself (and thy risk) by getting recommended cancer screenings

When you own a house, you take care of it with regular maintenance. When you own a car, you take it to the mechanic for routine care like oil changes. Shouldn’t you do the same for yourself? Cancer screenings are one way of checking under the hood.

We aren’t comparing you to a car or a house. But we are saying that if you take good care of those things because they’re important to you, you should also take the best care of yourself. That means visiting a medical provider regularly, even when you aren’t feeling sick.

An annual checkup with a primary care provider can help you keep an eye on your overall health, identifying areas where you can improve. During these checkups, your provider can recommend blood tests and other tests, such as cancer screenings, based on your age, family history, lifestyle and overall risk.

Why do I need to see a doctor if I feel fine?

Because we want to keep you feeling fine! Visiting a medical provider when you aren’t sick or injured allows you to talk with your doctor about your health, lifestyle and other factors that can impact your risk of future health problems.

Based on that information and best practices for cancer screenings and other tests, your provider can make recommendations for what tests you should have, when you should start having them and how frequently they need to be done. The information revealed by those tests—and your chat with your doctor—can help identify your risk of a medical condition, such as breast cancer, before it becomes a problem. This proactive measure allows you to have more frequent or enhanced screenings or change your lifestyle habits to lower your risk.

In other words, you can stop problems before they start!

What cancer screenings do I need?

The types of cancer screenings you should have will depend on your age, your sex, your medical history and your risk factors. Your primary care provider and other doctors, such as an OB/GYN, will be able to recommend what screenings you need based on your personal situation.

Cervical cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer screenings are among the most commonly recommended tests, according to the National Cancer Institute. Recommendations include:

• Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy or stool tests—recommended beginning at age 45 at an interval that varies depending on the test
• HPV test—recommended along with a Pap test every three to five years for women at average risk of cervical cancer beginning at age 30
• Mammograms—recommended for women at average risk of breast cancer beginning between ages 40 and 50 and continued either annually or every two years after age 55, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS)
• Pap test—recommended by the ACS every three years for women at average risk of cervical cancer starting at age 25

Your medical provider may recommend other types of cancer screening, including an annual skin check for signs of skin cancer. Lung cancer screening may be recommended for smokers and former smokers. Men should also talk with their doctor about whether they should undergo prostate cancer screening, such as PSA testing.

Cancer screenings are important even if you have no symptoms and feel completely healthy. These tests can help identify cancers early before symptoms even develop. Early detection makes it easier to treat and survive cancer.

There’s good news, too: Many health insurance plans cover routine cancer screenings free of cost. Check your plan to learn the specifics about what’s covered and when. The recommendations we’ve discussed above are for those at average risk of developing cancer. Suppose you are at an increased risk because of a family history of the disease or other factors. In that case, you may need to begin screening earlier, to have different forms of advanced screening or to screen more frequently.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or need to set up a routine screening, the cancer care team at LCMC Health is here for you from start to finish.