Importance of Screening
Over one million people get cancer each year.
About 1 out of every 2 American men and 1 out of every 3 American women will have some type of cancer at some point during their lifetime. Anyone can get cancer at any age; but about 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in people age of 55 and older. Cancer can be found in Americans of all racial and ethnic groups, but the rate of cancer occurrence varies from group to group.
Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have been cured of the disease. The sooner a cancer is found and the sooner treatment begins, the better a patient’s chances are of a cure ―that’s why early detection of cancer is such an important weapon in the fight against cancer.
Screening tests are very important for finding cancers at an early stage when they are most treatable. Screening can prevent cancers of the cervix, colon, and rectum by allowing doctors to take out pre-cancerous tissue before it becomes cancer. Screening can also detect cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, oral cavity, and skin at early stages. For most of these cancers, early detection has been shown to reduce the number of deaths caused by cancer. CHRIAS’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center offers genetic cancer testing and other screening tests including mammograms and MRI.
Screening Type
If an abnormality is detected, your doctor will want to perform a biopsy. Keep in mind that not all lumps and breast abnormalities are malignant.
One of the biopsy procedures that CHRIAS uses is the stereotactic biopsy. Stereotactic biopsy is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure performed by a radiologist. A local anesthetic is used during the procedure to numb the place where the biopsy needle will be inserted and several stereotactic pairs of x-ray images will be taken. Then a very small prick is made in the skin. The radiologist inserts the needle to the location of the lump or abnormality while using x-ray imaging. Tissue samples are then removed using either a core needle biopsy or a vacuum-assisted device (VAD).
Once the radiologist obtains the cell sampling, then the needle will be removed and a final set of images will be taken. The biopsy is then complete and no sutures are needed.
Colorectal screenings are used to test for cancer or potentially pre-cancerous growths called polyps. Typically, it is recommended that people begin regular screenings at the age of 50. If you have risk factors such as a family history of colorectal cancer, lynch syndrome, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease you may require earlier and more frequent screenings.
Colorectal screenings are important because they are the best way to look for cancer in people who experience no signs or symptoms of cancer. Often screenings can discover cancer at an early stage when treatment outcomes are significantly more positive. Screenings also allow the doctor to find and remove pre-cancerous polyps before they have a chance to develop into cancerous growths.
Colorectal Screening Types
- Colonoscopy – The most commonly known screening type, colonoscopies are performed by placing a long, flexible tube into the entire colon and rectum to check for cancer or polyps.
- Sigmoidoscopy – Sigmoidoscopies use a lighted, flexible tube to check the rectum and lower colon for polyps and cancer.
- Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) – Stool Samples (feces) are collected and examined for blood, which can indicate the presence cancer and some sometimes polyps.
- Double-contrast barium enema – Allows the colon and rectum to be x-rayed.
CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) – A type of CT scan that provides a clear view of the colon and rectum.
Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, double-contrast barium enema, and CT colonography are recommended screening methods to detect both polyps and cancer in the colon and rectum. Because these tests can detect polyps before they become cancerous, they may be an effective step in preventing colorectal cancer.
To schedule a screening at CHRIAS, please call us at 302-892-9900.
