Cancer Screening Tests That May Help Detect Cancer Earlier

Typically, screenings aren’t intended to diagnose cancer. If a test comes back abnormal, your doctor will probably need to perform more tests to see if you have cancer.

Why Is It a Good Idea to Screen for Cancer?

The main goal of cancer screening is early detection. When cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat and cure than cancers found at a later stage.

Spotting a cancer before it spreads can lower your risk of dying.

What Types of Screening Are Available for Cancer?

Your doctor might perform a physical exam, lab tests, imaging procedures, or genetic tests to screen for cancer.

• Mammogram A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. It’s used to detect breast cancer earlier. Having regular mammograms can lower your risk of dying from breast cancer.
• Breast MRI This technique uses magnets and radio waves to capture pictures of the breast. It’s typically used with a mammogram on women who are at high risk of breast cancer, such as those with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
• Breast Exam During this exam, your doctor performs a physical test to check for lumps on the breast and under the arms.
• Pap Test With a Pap test (or Pap smear), doctors collect cells and mucus from the cervix and surrounding area. This sample is sent to a lab to be tested for abnormal cells that could turn into cervical cancer. Sometimes, doctors will perform an HPV test along with a Pap to screen for the human papillomavirus (HPV).
• PSA A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is performed to detect prostate cancer in men. It is typically only performed on men at high risk of prostate cancer, and it’s often done along with a rectal exam.
• Colonoscopy and Sigmoidoscopy These tests use a thin tube with a camera on the end to look inside the colon. A colonoscopy examines the entire colon, while a sigmoidoscopy (rarely used) looks only at the lower large intestine. These tests can detect abnormal growths, called polyps, which can develop into colon cancer.
• Fecal Occult Blood Test A fecal occult blood test is used to check for blood in the stool, which may indicate that you have polyps or colon cancer. A fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) are examples of this test.
• Multitargeted Stool DNA (mt-sDNA) and RNA (mt-sRNA) Tests These tests look for hidden blood in the stool and check for changes in DNA and RNA that may indicate cancer or precancerous growths. These tests include Cologuard and Colosense.
• Shield Blood-Based Test This test examines a sample of your blood for signs of colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps.

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• CT Scan Low-dose computed tomography, also called a low-dose CT scan, is used to screen for lung cancer. It involves using an X-ray machine to scan the body and provide images of your lungs.
• CA-125 This blood test may be recommended to detect ovarian cancer in women who are at high risk. It’s often used along with a transvaginal ultrasound.
• Skin Exam With a skin exam, you or your doctor look for suspicious spots or changes in your skin. This test is often recommended for people who are at high risk of skin cancer.
• Alpha-Fetoprotein This blood test is used to detect liver cancer in people at high risk and is often performed along with an ultrasound.

Can Cancer Be Detected in a Blood Test?

Who Should Get Screened, When, and How Often?

• Breast Cancer Women ages 40 to 44 can start annual mammograms if they choose to do so. All women with an average risk of breast cancer should begin yearly screenings by age 45. At 55, women can continue yearly mammograms or have them every other year. Regular screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health. Those at high risk of the disease may start earlier screening and might also need a breast MRI, along with standard mammograms.
• Colon and Rectal Cancer Most men and women should begin colon cancer screening at age 45, but you may need to start earlier if you have certain risk factors. Many different screening tests can be used, so ask your doctor which one is best for your situation. A colonoscopy is typically performed every 10 years for most healthy people.
• Cervical Cancer Women between the ages of 25 and 65 should get a primary HPV test every five years. If a primary HPV test isn’t available, you may opt for an HPV test with a Pap test every five years or a Pap test every three years. Women over age 65 who’ve had regular screenings and normal results no longer have to be screened for cervical cancer, although you may need to be tested more often or for a longer period of time if you’re at high risk of developing this cancer.
• Prostate Cancer Starting at age 50, men should talk to their doctors about the pros and cons of screening for prostate cancer. If you’re African American or if your father or brother had prostate cancer, you should have this discussion starting at age 45.
• Lung Cancer The American Cancer Society recommends lung cancer screening for people 50 to 80 years old who smoke or used to smoke and have a history of smoking for 20 pack years (multiply the number of packs per day by the number of smoking years; 20 pack years means you smoked one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years).

It’s important to talk to your doctor about your family history and other risk factors, so that you can come up with a screening strategy that fits your needs.

Not All Cancer Screening Tests Are Foolproof

Although many screening tests have been shown to save lives, there is debate in the medical community about cancer screening.

Some screening tests can produce inaccurate results, such as a “false positive” or a “false negative.” A false positive means your test comes back abnormal even though you don’t have cancer. This can cause unnecessary worry and anxiety. A false negative result comes back normal when you really have cancer. This can lead to delayed treatment, and sometimes, a worse prognosis.

Discuss the benefits and risks of cancer screening with your doctor.