Giving Mom the Gift of Health: Encourage the Moms in Your Life to Get Up to Date on Cancer Screening Tests

Along with giving Mother’s Day gifts and sending greetings this year, encourage the moms in your life to get up to date on cancer screening tests. Screening tests look for cancer before a person has any signs or symptoms. Regular screenings can catch some cancers early, when they’re small, have not spread, and are easier to treat. With cervical and colon cancers, these tests can even prevent cancer from developing in the first place.

Report by Paula Antolini
May 5, 2015 10:58AM EDT

Giving Mom the Gift of Health: Encourage the Moms in Your Life to Get Up to Date on Cancer Screening Tests

Along with giving Mother’s Day gifts and sending greetings this year, encourage the moms in your life to get up to date on cancer screening tests. The Southwest Care Center, as well as numerous other clinics, offer various tests that can help prevent and detect any traces of cancerous cells. Screening tests look for cancer before a person has any signs or symptoms. Regular screenings can catch some cancers early, when they’re small, have not spread, and are easier to treat. With cervical and colon cancers, these tests can even prevent cancer from developing in the first place.

Sweeten the deal by offering to help your mom schedule her screening, drive her to and from appointments, and keep her company in the waiting room.

Breast cancer

•	Women age 40 and older should get mammograms each year and continue to do so as long as they are in good health.
•	Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam done as part of a regular check-up by a health professional, preferably every 3 years. Women 40 and older should have a breast exam done by a health professional every year.
•	Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change to a health professional right away. Breast self-exam is an option for women starting in their 20s. Talk to a doctor or nurse about benefits and limitations of breast self-exam.
•	Some women may want to start screening for breast cancer earlier depending on their family and medical history.

Colon cancer

•	Women should start screening at age 50, or earlier if they have a family history of colon or rectal cancer or colon problems that raise their risk.
•	Screening tests can often find growths called polyps, which can be removed before they turn into cancer. These tests also can find colon and rectal cancer earlier, when treatments are more likely to be successful.
•	There are several different tests that screen for colon and rectal cancer Talk to your doctor about when you should start and which tests might be right for you.

Endometrial cancer

•	At the time of menopause, all women should be told about the risks and symptoms of endometrial cancer and strongly encouraged to report any vaginal bleeding, discharge, or spotting to their doctor.
•	Some women – because of their history – may need to consider having a yearly endometrial biopsy. Talk with a doctor about your history.

Lung cancer

•	Women ages 55 to 74 who are or were heavy smokers should talk to a doctor about whether a low-dose CT scan to screen for lung cancer is right for them
•	People who have never smoked or who quit long ago can and do also get lung cancer but for them the risks of screening usually outweigh the benefits.
•	Screening does not make it OK to keep using tobacco. If you or the women in your life smoke, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 for help quitting.

Cervical cancer

•	All women should begin cervical cancer screening at age 21.
•	Women between the ages of 21 and 29 should have a Pap test every 3 years. They should not be tested for HPV unless it’s needed after an abnormal Pap test result.
•	Women between the ages of 30 and 65 should have both a Pap test and an HPV test every 5 years. This is the preferred approach, but it’s also OK to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.
•	Women over age 65 who have had regular screenings with normal results should not be screened for cervical cancer. Women who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer or pre-cancer should continue to be screened according to the recommendations of a doctor.
•	Women who have had their uterus and cervix removed in a hysterectomy and have no history of cervical cancer or pre-cancer should not be screened.
•	Women who have had the HPV vaccine should still follow the screening recommendations for their age group.
•	Women who are at high risk for cervical cancer may need to be screened more often. Women at high risk might include those with HIV infection, organ transplant, or exposure to the drug DES. They should talk with a doctor or nurse about what screening plan is best for them.

Skin cancer

•	Be aware of all moles and spots on your skin and report any changes to a doctor right away. Have a skin exam done during your regular health check-ups.

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Screening Recommendations by Age

Learn what screening tests the American Cancer Society recommends for you, based on your age and gender:

CLICK HERE

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