The Importance of Regular Cancer Screenings

Cancer leads to abnormal cell growth and can affect various body parts such as the breast, prostate, blood, lungs, etc. This abnormal cell growth can cause tumours, immune system impairment and other issues.
Early detection and treatment of most cancers promise a favourable prognosis. Cancer screening tests can help catch some cancers at early stages when treatment is easy and a cure is possible.

Understanding cancer and screening can empower one to detect early cancer warning signs and get immediate medical attention. This article discusses cancer, its causes and symptoms, and regular cancer screenings’ crucial role in cancer prevention and treatment.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a broad term that describes abnormal cell growth in the body. Most cells in the human body have a lifespan, after which they perish. In cancer, the cells don’t die but divide uncontrollably due to changes in the cell DNA. The rate of this cell division (fast or slow) is different for different types of cancer. This uncontrollable cell growth can lead to tumours in some cancers.

What are the Causes of Cancer?

Changes in the DNA of some cells cause cancer. A small percentage of cancers are caused due to inherited gene changes. A large number of cancers have no known cause, but there are some common risk factors, which include:

1. Family History: Having close biological family members with cancer increases one’s chance of developing it.
2. Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of several cancers, such as lung, pancreatic and oral cancer.
3. Environmental Factors: Exposure to some common environmental toxins, such as pesticides or asbestos, can lead to cancer.
4. Malnutrition: Eating a high-fat, high-sugar diet can increase the risk of certain cancers.
5. Radiation Exposure: Long-term exposure to radiation, such as UV rays from the sun, can increase cancer risk.

What are the Symptoms of Cancer?

Some general cancer symptoms include:

1. Fatigue
2. Fever that occurs mainly at night
3. Loss of appetite
4. Night sweats
5. Persistent pain
6. Unexplained weight loss
7. Skin changes

What is Cancer Screening?

Cancer screening is a procedure or a test that checks for cancer signs before symptoms appear. These tests help identify some cancers early when they are easy to treat and possibly cure. Doctors recommend people over the age of 40 to have regular cancer screenings. People at a higher risk of cancer based on genetic or non-genetic risk factors are advised to go for regular cancer screenings even earlier.

What are Common Cancer Screening tests?

Some common cancer screening tests include:

1. Physical Exam: In a physical exam, the health care provider or doctor enquires about the patient’s habits and family history and looks for any unusual changes or lumps in the body.
2. Laboratory Tests: These tests usually include blood screening for cancer and tissue and urine tests. Some examples of blood tests for blood cancer and other cancers are CBC, blood protein, and tumour marker tests. A pap smear is an example of a tissue test in which a tissue sample is obtained and tested for cancer signs.
3. Imaging Tests: These tests obtain detailed images of organs inside the body to look for tumours and other cancer-related changes. An example of an imaging test is a mammogram, which is used to look for breast cancer.
4. Genetic tests: The doctor recommends Genetic tests when someone in the family has hereditary cancer. These tests look for the presence of the genetic changes associated with this cancer. Inherited genetic changes account for a small percentage of cancers.

What are the Pros of Regular Cancer Screenings?

Doctors recommend regular screenings as part of a healthy lifestyle, and has the following benefits:

1. Early Detection and Treatment: Regular screening should detect early signs of cancer before the appearance of any symptoms. At this stage, the tumour is small and has not spread to other body areas. Hence, the treatment is less aggressive, and a cure is possible.
2. Reduces Treatment Expenditure: Cancer treatment in early stages is less aggressive and invasive than in advanced stages. Hence, the treatment cost is also lower.
3. Cancer Prevention: In some cases, pre-cancerous conditions are detected by regular screenings, which can be prevented from developing into cancer through treatment.
4. Improved Quality of Life: Regular screenings through early detection and treatment or prevention result in an overall improved quality of life.
   5. Reduce Cancer-Related Deaths
   With regular cancer screenings, the cancer survival rate increases as the prognosis is much better at the earlier stages.

Regular cancer screenings have many benefits and are considered part of a healthy lifestyle. They can detect cancer early and, in some cases, even prevent it from developing. However, cancer screening is not a cancer diagnosis tool. Upon noticing the warning signs or symptoms of cancer given here, it is a good idea to consult a doctor and get tested at Dr Lal PathLabs at reasonable cancer test costs.

FAQs

1. What common cancers require regular screening?

Some cancers that require regular screening include breast, cervical, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer.

2. What tests does blood screening for cancer include?

It includes blood tests such as a complete blood panel, tumour marker blood tests, blood protein tests and circulating tumour tests.