Screening tests
vary depending upon the type of cancer being considered. Some simple
cancer screening can be self administered or accomplished with the
assistance of a family member if necessary. For example, a check for
colon cancer may simply involve collecting small samples of stool on
special cards, which are then sent to specialty health care
practitioners, and analyzed for the presence of blood. Also, a woman
may be able to detect breast cancer at an early stage by simply
examining her breasts monthly (although regular examination by a
doctor and mammography are also usually needed). Cancer screening for
skin cancer is also helpful in detecting this disease early on.
Because most people cannot really see the skin on their entire body,
help from a family member or friend should probably be sought from
time to time, as well as having a physician perform an annual total
body examination.
Doctors usually
recommend that older people undergo cancer screening for several types
of cancer. For some cancers such as those of the colon and breast,
screening has been proven to reduce the risk of dying. However,
cancer screening is not equally effective for all cancers, and there
has been some disagreement among experts about which people benefit
most from the screening tests. For example, some experts agree that
older men should have regular rectal examinations to test for prostate
cancer and rectal cancer. However, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
test is somewhat controversial. The PSA level in the blood is
elevated in men with prostate cancer, but also may increase in men
with a non-cancerous condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia,
and it may sometimes even be normal in men with prostate cancer.
Moreover, cancer screening may not reduce the risk of older men dying
for prostate cancer. Thus, PSA cancer screening is commonly not done
in men whose life expectancy is less than 10 years (due to their age
or the coexistence of other diseases).
Cancer screening
is most effective when the disease is found early. In the early
stages however, cancer rarely causes symptoms, making it difficult to
be found. Early diagnosis is helped tremendously through diligent
cancer screening. The screening of older people is often different in
terms of benefits and risks. Little advantage may be gained through
detecting a slow-growing cancer that may not cause harm within an
individual’s predicted life expectancy. Also, the procedures and
additional tests and treatments may carry risks without benefits when
the elderly utilize certain forms of cancer screening.