It’s better to know
Cancer screenings can save lives
The good news is the cancer death rate in the United States is falling, and the decrease is due to early detection and treatment.
But what’s troubling the medical community is that, in the face of so much promise of cancer treatment and cure, not everyone is taking advantage of regular health screening – the very key to lifesaving treatment.
Early detection is key
Regular screening exams by healthcare professionals can result in the prevention of cervical and colorectal cancers when precancerous lesions are discovered and removed. Screenings can detect cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, oral cavity and skin at early stages. A heightened awareness of breast or skin changes may also result in tumors detected at earlier stages.
For most of these cancers, early detection has been shown to reduce mortality. But in fact, the National Cancer Institute reports that the numbers of women getting mammograms has been falling in the U.S. since 2004. By 2005, mammograms had dropped to about 66 percent, nearly 4 percent lower than the peak of 70 percent in 2000. More recent statistics are expected to show a continued downward trend.
Annual breast screening numbers could improve
In Hampton Roads, women get their annual breast screening at an even lower rate than the rest of the country, according to Dr. Catherine Z. Hayward, director of the Chesapeake Regional Medical Center Breast Program. As a result, a higher percentage of women are diagnosed with advanced breast cancers.
A breast surgeon, Hayward has seen the power of annual screening first-hand. She previously practiced in a suburb west of Philadelphia – where more women receive annual mammograms than they do in Hampton Roads.
“In Philadelphia, about 20 to 25 percent of the breast cancer cases I saw were carcinoma in situ, which is cancer that doesn’t have the ability to spread and is rarely able to be felt,” she said. “About half of the patients I saw were Stage 1, meaning a tumor 2 cm or less in size, with no nodes positive.”.
In stark contrast are the new cases she sees in her Chesapeake practice. “In many of my patients, you can look at their breast and see it,” she said. “But they haven’t noticed it.”
This means the likelihood that the cancer has spread is markedly increased, and the chance of survival far less. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 92 percent if the cancer has not spread, yet 71 percent if it has spread to nearby organs.
Family history may not be a reliable indicator
Hayward stresses the need for more patient education, especially to clear up any misconceptions women have. One misconception is that if you have no family history of cancer, you are at low or no risk of breast cancer.
“Absence of a family history is no protection,” said Hayward, who counsels women on the genetics of breast cancer. “Most women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history of breast cancer. And if a woman has a family history of breast cancer that may or may not mean she will get breast cancer.
Annual screenings begininning at age fourty
“If we can get the word out that women need annual mammograms beginning at age fourty, we really, without question, would have a better cure rate,” she said. “If a mother or sister has had breast cancer, a woman should begin her annual screening mammograms at fourty or 10 years younger than her mother or /sister was at diagnosis, whichever is younger.
Colon screenings are a success story
Like mammograms, colonoscopies can lead to decreased cancer deaths. The rise in the numbers of people getting colonoscopies has, in fact, led to a decrease in the number of deaths from cancer in the large intestine and rectum.
A colonoscopy is one of the few screening tests that can potentially cure a patient of cancer. About 90 percent of all colon cancer develops from a polyp. And these cancer-causing polyps can be detected and removed during the screening by a colonoscope. In use for 25 years, the device allows doctors to look inside the entire large intestine. When found and treated early, colon cancer is often 100 percent curable.
“Colonoscopy, based on multiple studies, is a very accurate tool for detecting colon cancer and, indirectly, improves survival in those patients found to have colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Felix P. Tiongco, a Chesapeake Regional physician who practices with Gastroenterology Associates of Tidewater.
Recognizing that the benefits of screening far outweigh the minimal risks and possible mild discomfort, more adults age fifty and older are choosing colonoscopy over other less-invasive, less-accurate colorectal cancer screenings.
No longer a source of embarrassment, it is now more of a source of discussion. Not only are people learning about it from family and friends, but from co-workers around the water cooler.
“During just the past seven years, colonoscopy is becoming more widely accepted in our general population and our screening numbers have gone up 40 to 45 percent,” said Dr. Douglas H. Howerton, a CRMC physician who practices with Gastroenterology Associates.
“Less than 2 to 3 percent of patients have any discomfort,” he added. “Rarely is there discomfort from a screening standpoint. And the complications from screening the colon are extremely low. That’s why the risk-to-benefit ratio is so heavily weighted toward benefit.”
Tiongco echoed that. “Early detection equals cure,” he said. “We need to get this message out there.”
Colonoscopy is not the only approved strategy for colon cancer screening. In a rare situation wherein a colonoscopy cannot be performed, there are other modalities available, each having its pros and cons. Other screening options include the fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, computed tomographic colonography and the barium enema.
Get it straight
These cancer facts are meant to enlighten, not frighten. Facing them has saved thousands of lives and could save yours. It’s best to know you have cancer rather than stay in the dark. What you don’t know can kill you.
There are ways to reduce cancer risk, but no sure way to prevent cancer. Even those who follow healthy lifestyles, feel good and have a cancer-free family history can get cancer.
Anyone can develop cancer. In the U.S., men have slightly less than a one-in-two lifetime risk of developing cancer. For women, the risk is a little more than one in three, according to ACS.
Early detection is the key to surviving cancer. The goal is to find cancers before symptoms start to show. The extent of the cancer and how far it has spread are the most important factors in predicting the outlook for a patient.
Regular medical screening is the only way to detect cancer at its earliest stage, before symptoms appear. If you suspect you are at risk for cancer or show signs call a physician immediately. Diagnostic tests can be scheduled at the Diagnostic Center of Chesapeake, call 312-6137 for more information.
Know your cancer risk
- Know your family medical history.
People with a family history of cancer may benefit from starting screening tests when they are younger and having them done more often.
- Know your risks.
Risk assessment tools can help your doctor determine whether or not you are at high risk of cancer.
Genetic tests also can help tell which members of certain families have inherited a high risk for certain cancers.
Those with a higher risk of cancer should talk with their doctor about the best approach for them. This might mean starting regular screening when they are younger, having extra screening tests or having more frequent exams.
- Know the latest cancer prevention guidelines.
If you have no family history or symptoms of cancer, follow the cancer screening guidelines currently recommended by the American Cancer Society and your physician. (The ACS guidelines for early cancer detection are assessed annually. They may have changed, since the last you checked, in response to new scientific evidence and technological advances.)
- Know your body.
If you have any symptoms of colorectal or breast cancer, or have any other reason for suspecting cancer, see your doctor right away.
For help finding a physician, click here.
To schedule an exam:
Chesapeake Regional Medical Center
736 Battlefield Blvd. North
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-312-8121