2-17-09

Cancer Screenings

Deaths from the major types of cancer have declined in recent years, primarily because more people are being screened.      

Cancer deaths are declining, yet many more lives could be saved if more people took advantage of the various cancer screenings offered.  Finding cancers in an early stage improves the likelihood of successful treatment and cure, says Dr. David Steward, professor and chair of internal medicine at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.  He explains one of the most common cancer screening.

SOUND BITE:   “. . . the best example is colon cancer, where increased screening especially through colonoscopy, but also through the other methods we use, has resulted in a 15 to 20 percent decline in the death rate from colon cancer.  And the trend appears to be continuing.  A lot of this is because these polyps and early cancers are detected by the time they can simply be removed – sometimes even before they turn into cancer.” 

Dr. Steward says other important screenings for women include mammography for breast cancer and the Pap smear test to detect cervical cancer.  For men, the PSA or prostate specific antigen test to screen for prostate cancer is recommended.  The age to start the screenings varies with the type of cancer.

SOUND BITE:  “For cervical cancer, young women, including even adolescents who might be at some risk, should be screened for cervical cancer with Pap smears and regular visits to their physician or provider to get that done.  For the other cancers, in general, when an adult reaches age 50, they should be sure they are having this conversation with their physician – ‘What things do I need to do to prevent or reduce my risk for cancer?’”

Dr. Steward says even through more cancers are being found early, many people do not get the screenings they need.  He encourages people to take advantage of screening opportunities through their family physicians or community programs offered by county health departments or local hospitals.  For more information about various cancers and screenings, visit the American Cancer Society Web site, www.cancer.org.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.