A mammogram is conducted to help screen for or to diagnose breast cancer.
Many small tumors can be seen on a mammogram before they can be felt by
a woman or her health care professional.
Screening Guidelines
Women aged 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms
if they wish to do so.
Women aged 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years or can continue yearly screening.
We offer 3D Tomosynthesis Mammography, the latest in breast imaging technology.
Funding for our 3D Tomosynthesis machine was generously donated by
Cattlemen's Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink.
Screening tests for cervical cancer are a part of annual well woman exams
and offer the best chance of detecting cervical cancer early when treatment
will be the most effective.
Screening Guidelines
Cervical cancer screening should start at age 25.
People between the ages of 25 and 65 should get a primary HPV (human papillomavirus) test done every 5 years.
If a primary HPV test is not available, a co-test (an HPV test with a
pap test) every 5 years or a pap test every 3 years are still good options.
People over age 65 who have had regular cervical cancer testing in the past 10 years with
normal results should not be tested for cervical cancer. Once testing
is stopped, it should not be started again. Those with a history of a
serious cervical pre-cancer should continue to be tested for at least
25 years after that diagnosis, even if testing goes past age 65.
People whose cervix has been removed by surgery for reasons not related to cervical cancer or serious pre-cancer should
not be tested.
People who have been vaccinated against HPV should still follow the screening recommendations for their age groups.
The primary care providers at our Family Medicine Clinic provider pap tests,
HPV tests and HPV vaccinations.
A colonoscopy is a procedure used to examine changes or abnormalities in
the large intestine and rectum.
Screening Guidelines
Men and women with an average risk for colorectal cancer should begin screening
at age 45. For screening, people are considered average risk if they do not have:
A personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps
A family history of colorectal cancer
A personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or
Crohn’s disease)
A confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as
familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis
colon cancer or HNPCC)
A personal history of getting radiation to the abdomen (belly) or pelvic
area to treat a prior cancer
For people at increased risk of colorectal cancer, your primary care provider
may recommend screening begin before age 45.
If you chose to be screening with a test other than colonoscopy, any abnormal
test result needs to be followed up with a colonoscopy.
We offer colonoscopies in our General Surgery Clinic.
A low-dose CT (LDCT) scan is the only recommended screening for lung cancer.
During an LDCT scan, you lie on a table and an x-ray machine uses a low
dose (amount) of radiation to make detailed images of your lungs. The
scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful.
Screening Guidelines
A yearly lung cancer screening is recommended for people who:
Are 50 to 80 years old and in fairly good health,
and
Currently smoke or have quit in the past 15 years,
and
Have at least a 20 pack-year smoking history. (This is the number of packs
of cigarettes per day multiplied by the number of years smoked. For example,
someone who smoked 2 packs a day for 10 years [2 x 10 = 20] has 20 pack-years
of smoking, as does a person who smoked 1 pack a day for 20 years [1 x
20 = 20].)
The American Cancer Society recommends that men have a chance to make an
informed decision with their health care provider about whether to be
screened for prostate cancer. The decision should be made after getting
information about the uncertainties, risks and potential benefits of prostate
cancer screening.
Screening Guidelines
The discussion about screening should take place at:
Age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men
who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate
cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).
Age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer
at an early age).
After this discussion, men who want to be screened should work with their
primary care provider to incorporate the screening into their annual wellness
exam. Screening will include the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood
test and the digital rectal exam (DRE) may also be included.
