Cancer Screening Guides
Breast Cancer
Between the ages of 35 and 40, women should have a baseline mammogram to be used for comparison.
Women ages 40 and up should then have a mammogram annually.
Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast examination (CBE) as part of a regular health exam by a health professional, preferably every 3 years.
Men, who represent one percent of all breast cancer cases, should begin doing breast self-exams, checking for unusual lumps beneath the nipple. All of Doylestown Hospital's breast cancer services are open to women as well as men.
Women and men at increased risk for breast cancer should talk with their doctor about the benefits and limitations of starting mammograms when they are younger, having additional tests such as MRI, also available at Doylestown Hospital, or having more frequent exams.
Women and men should discuss with their physician which breast lump evaluations are best for them.
Prostate Cancer
Beginning at age 50, both the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal examination (DRE) should be offered annually to men who have at least a 10-year life expectancy.
Men at high risk (African-American men and men with a strong family history of one or more first-degree relatives [father, brothers] diagnosed before age 65) should begin testing at age 45. Men at even higher risk, due to multiple first-degree relatives affected at an early age, could begin testing at age 40. Depending on the results of this initial test, no further testing might be needed until age 45.
Cervical Cancer
Nearly all cervical cancer is caused by a virus - HPV (human papillomavirus) - but only certain types of HPV are associated with cervical cancer. Screening for cervical cancer with a Pap smear along with an HPV DNA test is now recommended for women age 30 and over.
Begin annual Pap tests about 3 years after becoming sexually active, but no later than age 21.
At age 30, women who have had 3 normal Pap tests in a row may get screened every 3 years. A Pap smear plus HPV DNA test is recommended. Women with certain risk factors (ask your doctor) should continue annual screenings.
Healthy women 70+ who have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years may choose to stop having cervical cancer screening.
Women who have had a total hysterectomy don't need further Pap tests unless the surgery was done as a treatment for cancer or pre-cancer. Women who still have a cervix should continue to follow the guidelines above.
*Consult your physician for detailed guidelines if you have a family history of, or other risk factors for, cervical cancer.
Colon and Rectal Cancer
Colonoscopy is the best weapon against colorectal cancer. Performed on an outpatient basis, it allows doctors to evaluate the lining of the colon for irregularities and detect and prevent cancer through the removal of precancerous polyps. Beginning at age 50, all women and men should follow one of these testing schedules:
Yearly fecal occult blood test (FOBT).
Sigmoidoscopy every five years, or a colonoscopy (preferred test), or a double-contrast barium enema every five to ten years.
Digital rectal exam every five to ten years, at the time of each screening procedure.
Source: American Cancer Society
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