When it comes to your health, getting in front of a potentially dangerous illness is critical to overcoming that illness, especially cancer. Early detection of potentially life-threatening diseases before they can get worse gives you a better chance at survival. For doctors, health screenings are a powerful tool that can save lives, and it gives them the opportunity to start a treatment plan to keep the disease from spreading or becoming a larger, maybe even deadly, problem.
Cancer screenings are an important part of healthcare
Right now, there are over 100 different types of cancer and early detection through cancer screenings could be the difference in life or death. However, there are other health screenings that are also important to your health. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and kidney disease are some of the most common causes of death in our country, today.
Thankfully, there are easily available screenings for these and other diseases. If your family has a history of any of these, scheduling a screening is recommended. With a genetic predisposition, most doctors also recommend that you get occasional screenings to look for any warning signs.
Colonoscopies receive the most resistance
A colonoscopy is the most accurate process for finding precancerous colon polyps. The American Cancer Society recommends screening for colon cancer at around age 50, or earlier if you have a genetic predisposition.
In October, Pink means breast cancer awareness
Breast imaging, or mammograms, can detect cancerous cells and abnormalities in at-risk women. If a woman does a self-examination and finds something odd, it’s time to schedule a mammography. Women above the age of 40, or with a genetic predisposition, should get checked annually. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is a campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
Pap smears are the preferred way to screening for cervical cancer
Like mammograms, cervical screens are crucial to a woman’s health. Cervical screening can detect abnormal cells before they become cancerous. Screening includes cervical cytology, or a Pap smear, which tests for human papillomavirus (HPV). It is recommended that most women should have cervical cancer screening on a regular basis.
Smokers should get screened for lung cancer yearly
Detecting lung cancer at an early and more treatable stage dramatically improves patient survival rates. Of course, lung cancer screenings are recommended for people with a history of smoking or lung issues.
Get screened – it could save your life
Early detection is so important when it comes to treating and fighting cancer, and health screenings are the best way to find certain cancers in your body. Over the years, and with the advancement of technology, cancer screenings have helped lower the U.S. death rate in several cancers, and if more people get screened regularly, the death rate can decrease even more. The goal is to wipe out cancer completely, but each time cancer is detected early and defeated, it is generally because of early detection through health screenings.
