While you’re making vacation plans this summer, the experts at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital remind you to also schedule your cancer screenings, especially if you delayed an appointment due to COVID-19. Screenings check your body for cancer before you have symptoms. Getting regular checkups could find breast, cervical, skin, colorectal, and lung cancers early, leading to more effective treatment.
"As we move beyond the coronavirus, it’s time to get your screenings back on track,” said Xavier Llor, MD, PhD, Medical Director of the Smilow Screening and Prevention Program and Associate Director for Cancer Screening at the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity at Yale Cancer Center. “Early detection has led to more Americans surviving cancer each year.”
It’s important to follow recommendations for cancer screening tests from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF):
Breast Cancer
“A mammogram is the best way to find breast cancer early,” said Regina Hooley, MD, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale Cancer Center. “Women at average risk for breast cancer, and that’s most women, should start screening between the ages of 40 and 50 and should have a mammogram every one to two years.”
Cervical Cancer
A Pap smear or Pap test checks for cervical cancer in women and can find abnormal cells in the cervix which could turn into cancer. “Women at average-risk, ages 21 to 29, should get a Pap test once every three years,” says Gulden Menderes, MD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Smilow Cancer Hospital. “And for women ages 30 to 65 years, they should have a Pap test every three years and a human papillomavirus or HPV test once every five years.”
Colorectal (Colon) Cancer
“Colorectal cancer screening saves many lives. This has been shown over and over,” adds Llor. “Besides colonoscopy, several other tests can also be used, and if positive, a follow up colonoscopy can detect early cancers and polyps that can be removed before they become cancerous.” For average risk men and women, the ACS, the USPSTF, and most professional societies now recommend a screening for average risk individuals starting at the age of 45 through at least 75 years old.
Lung cancer
“For lung cancer screening, the USPSTF recently updated their guidelines,” said Lynn Tanoue, MD, MBA, Director of the Yale Lung Screening and Nodule Program at Yale Cancer Center. “People with a history of heavy smoking, who are smoking now or have quit within the past 15 years and are between 50-80 years old qualify for lung cancer screening with low-dose chest CT scanning.”
If you’re unsure about when and how often you should be screened for cancer, talk to your doctor. Depending on your gender, personal and family health history, or previous screening results, your doctor will recommend a screening schedule.
To learn more about cancer screenings and the Smilow Screening & Prevention Program, go to: https://www.yalecancercenter.org/patient/specialty/screening/
To schedule an appointment for a cancer screening, call (203) 200-3030 or email screening@ynhh.org.