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BREAST CANCER
- Yearly mammograms starting
at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is
in good health.
- Clinical breast exams (CBE) should be part of
a periodic health exam, about every three years
for women in their 20’s and 30’s and every year
for women 40 and over.
- Women should report any breast change
promptly to their health care providers. Breast
self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in
their 20’s.
- Women at increased risk (e.g., family
history, genetic tendency, past breast cancer)
should talk with their doctors about the benefits
and limitations of starting mammography screening
earlier, having additional tests (e.g., breast
ultrasound or MRI), or having more frequent
exams.
COLON AND RECTAL CANCER
- Beginning at
age 50, both men and women of average risk should
follow one of these five testing
schedules:
+ Yearly fecal occult blood test
(FOBT)*
+ Flexible sigmoidoscopy every
five years
+ Yearly fecal occult blood test*
plus flexible sigmoidoscopy every five
years**
+ Double-contrast barium enema every
five years
+ Colonoscopy every ten years (gold
standard)
*For FOBT, the
take-home method in which three samples are taken
on three consecutive days should be used
**
The combination of FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy
is preferred over either of these two tests
alone
All positive
tests should be followed up with
colonoscopy!
People should begin colorectal
cancer screening earlier and/or undergo screening
more often with colonoscopy if they have any of
the following colorectal cancer risk
factors:
+ A personal history of colorectal
cancer or adenomatous polyps
+ A strong family
history of colorectal cancer or polyps (cancer or
polyps in a first-degree relative younger than 60
or in two first-degree relatives of any age).
Note: a first degree relative is defined as a
parent, sibling, or child.
+ A personal history
of chronic inflammatory bowel disease
+ A
family history of an hereditary colorectal cancer
syndrome (familial adenomatous polyposis or
hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer)
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