Effective cancer screening methods are used to detect or identify the presence of a specific cancer before the individual displays any symptoms of cancer. Early detection of a cancer through screening can save the life of a person who may have died without screening detection. Early detection of cancer can also provide a less costly and more effective treatment than if the cancer progresses requiring more advanced or drastic treatment. Screenings tests for the more common cancers such as breast, colon, prostate or cervical can be non-invasive or only slightly invasive. The majority of screening procedures are non-invasive which is more cost effective, patient convenient, and does not require any patient aftercare. Screening tests usually have a recommended age and frequency. As people age there is a higher risk of cancer and more screening is recommended. There are some considerations on whether to screen or not to screen such as; is the cancer common or fatal, are there detectable symptoms, and how reliable are the test results (Bast, 2000).
There are currently two slightly invasive screening tests used to detect prostate cancer. They are the digital rectal exam (DRE) and the prostate-specific antigen blood test (PSA). The DRE is a quick exam that can check the prostates health. A doctor inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum to feel the back portion of the prostate for size, irregularity or abnormal areas. DRE is the only method in which a physician can physically examine the prostate gland. If a doctor does find an irregularity the conclusion is not necessarily prostate cancer, but a reason to pursue diagnosis (Bast, 2000).
“Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate g...
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...te posts coated with antibodies that bind to tumor cells. When blood passes across the chip, cancer cells stick and stains make them glow for easy detection” (Prostate.net, n.d.). This blood test could possibly eliminate tissue sampling and imaging scans (Prostate.net, n.d.). EN2 is a new prostate cancer test measuring the EN2 protein in urine. “The study found that testing for the protein could accurately identify 66% of men with prostate cancer, and correctly rule out the disease in almost 90% of men without the disease” (National Health Service, 2011). The cases of prostate cancer were confirmed with a biopsy. The University of Surrey, UK studies confirmed that “even if the EN2 test performs well in larger scale testing, the test would not necessarily replace PSA testing” (National Health Service, 2011) but could be used with PSA (National Health Service, 2011)
The primary ways to detect these early-warning symptoms or signs include blood tests, X-rays, and other medical screenings. When there is family history of certain condition such as colon cancer, it is additionally important for people to get early screenings to maintain proper health.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common ailments that affect aging men. Statistics show that more than half of the entire male population aged 65 have some form of BPH, while about 90 percent of men aged 85 have the condition. Every year, in the United States alone, about a quarter of a million surgeries are performed to correct BPH. As they name implies, BPH is a non-malignant growth of the prostate, the gland that secretes semen, the fluid that transports sperm. Although not harmful, BPH can bring about symptoms that could largely affect the quality of life of its sufferers.
Note that the introduction of screening may produce short-term rises (AIHW, Cancer incidence projections) due to greater detection.
Mantoux PPD skin test; two is a Chest X-ray which is given after the Skin test
Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of world-wide cancer-related death in men after lung cancer (WCRF International), and in Australia, it accounts for 30% of all new cancers in men and 13.4% of all cancer deaths in men (Cancer Australia). Currently, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is the most commonly used serum biomarker for prostate cancer most routinely used by urologists. However, PSA-based screening has been shown to have high false positives and false negatives with low specificity, and it is not able to distinguish well between cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia or between indolent and aggressive cancers, thus leading to overtreatment, especially unnecessary biopsies (Otero) (Qian). Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new specific biomarker for the early detection of prostate cancer, and effective biomarkers will be able to reduce morality rates and appropriate clinical interventions can be applied.
Colon cancer develops in the part of the gastrointestinal tract that absorbs water and minerals before waste products are disposed via the rectum. In women endometrial cancer is related to colon cancer. This type of cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States. Over one-hundred fifty thousand individuals will be diagnosed this year and this cancer will probably be responsible for about 47,900 deaths in 1999 (http://www.cancer.org). Most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas that develop from the glandular cells. Ninety percent of all colon cancer cases will develop in individuals after 50 years of age. Ninety percent of all tumors arise from polyps that are commonly found in people older than 50. Prevention includes regular exercise and a diet high in fiber. The most important risk factor is age. Medical screening includes a yearly blood occult test after age 50 and a colonoscopy every 3 years after age 50. Regular screening detects polyps that have become precancerous. If regular screening is not done, the cancer is not detected until blood is found in the...
Due to this, it often takes longer to diagnosis. The one thing providers depend on is the patients’ history. listening to a patient's history, it may lead to getting them screened for lung cancer. A standard screening method is computed tomography (CT scan). High-risk patients are advised to receive this annually especially if they have a long smoking history. This test has shown to reduce death caused by lung cancer by twenty percent. Current guidelines recommend smokers have an annual chest x-ray done, but the literature does not provide information the level of benefit. The sputum test is another way of checking for cancer cells, but this does not have explicit evidence to back it
Almost all prostate cancers develop form the gland cells in the prostate that make the seminal fluid. While some prostate cancers can grow rapidly, most are slow grow. This cancer can grow so slow that older men who have died from othe...
A research program from among those funded by the American Cancer Society. One of the programs funded by ACS is the Colon Cancer ( Color ectal Cancer Program). American Cancer Society in collaboration with the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have extensively identified areas of collaboration in dealing with colon and rectal cancer. The areas identified are: Epidemiology , surveillance, environmental approaches of health care systems characteristics and community progress link to clinical services. All these areas work in joint with public health, Federal agencies , community agencies and church organizations in providing material support in form education and information, support groups, referrals and Spiritual support. Since 1999 the screen for life National Colorectal Cancer action organization was formed to raise awareness and increase men/ women 50 years and older who are at risk. For more than 70 years, Colon and Rectal Cancer research has been helping find answers to critical questions about colon and rectal cancer, causes, prevention and detection and questions on how to improve the patients' quality of life. American Cancer Society has been providing grants for the research on colon cancer to individual researchers, universities and hospitals that are actively involved in this research. Some of the work on progress are the Toolkit which is available for screening, colonoscopy procedures to check for polyps every 10 years, barium enema and cat scan every 5 years, creating a centralized scheduling systems for people over 50 years for screening and also providing diversified yellowish alertness (ACS) that lets the providers aware of the details for the screening. Other measures being taken are research and training, exploring why obesity increases the risk, awareness related to changes the way the body metabolizes iron which in turn leads to
Mammography is a very accurate screening tool for women at both average and increased risk; however, like any medical test, it is not perfect. Although the majority of women with an abnormal mammogram do not have cancer, all suspicious lesions that cannot be resolved with additional imaging should be biopsied for a definitive diagnosis. Breast cancer screening for women at average risk includes clinical breast exam and mammography. This screening tool can often detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective and a cure is more likely (cancersupporttexas.org, 2015). Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control shows that lack of mammography screening is the main cause of
Trevena L. (2009) Cancer screening Reprinted from Australian Family Physician: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales. Vol. 38, No. 4
As life on Earth continues to grow, so do diseases. One disease, cancer, has been around for quite awhile, and is the cause of multiple deaths. Cancer, a disease stemmed from a division of abnormal cells, can be found using different methods. One option is screening, which is often overdone. Cancer screenings should be implemented less frequently than currently advised because they can lead to inaccurate results, worse situations, and unnecessary treatment.
An annual digital rectal exam is essential for men older than 40 to check on the prostate gland for hard lumps and uneven areas.
Wardle & Pope (1992) claimed that evaluating the benefits of health screening can be very difficult. This is primarily due to the fact that premature death from chronic diseases, fore example breast and cervical cancer, is comparatively rare and con...
Another test for early detection of prostate cancer has been the digital rectal exam (DRE). Although DRE is a better method for early detection, it is also a hindrance among men, particularly African-American men, to screening and early detection (Plowden, 2009). According to American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Urological Association (AUA), the PSA and DRE should be offered annually for all men beginning at age 50 (Gray, 2009). However, they also recommend that African-American men with a family history of prostate cancer should begin testing by age 45 (Plowden, 2009). However, due to the cultural barriers to prostate screening such as lack of understanding, traditions, mist...