National Cancer Control Month: The Importance of Screenings
National Cancer Control Month highlights the importance of cancer screenings and prevention. Screenings allow your doctor to find cancer at its earliest when the chance of cure is the highest. While some screenings can detect cancer early, others can also help detect cancer precursors, which are signs of cancer before it develops.
Some types of screenings can detect cancer early:
- Mammography for breast cancer
- A mammogram can detect early breast cancer, sometimes even before a breast exam can feel it.
- Low-dose CT for lung cancer
- For those at high risk for lung cancer, this low-dose CT can detect early-stage lung cancer and decrease the mortality rate.
- Head & Neck Cancer Screenings
- Yearly screenings for head and neck cancer allow your doctor to detect any early signs of cancer.
Others can detect cancer early as well as detect cancer precursors:
- Colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer
- Colonoscopies can show doctors lesions and polyps, which are cancerous precursors.
- Pap smears and/or HPV testing for cervical cancer
- A Pap smear can detect changes in your cervical cells that suggest cancer may develop in the future.
- Testing positive for HPV can signal your doctor that you are at an increased risk for cervical cancer.
- Skin cancer screenings
- Skin cancer screenings allow your doctor to identify skin spots that can turn into cancer on your skin.
At Astera, we aim to have accessible cancer screenings to get ahead of the disease or identify it as early as possible.
Make it a priority this month to ask your doctor about cancer screenings and prevention.
To make an appointment with a physician, visit our website or call +1 732-390-7750.