Keeping a regular schedule of cancer screening tests is an important step for early detection and prevention of cancer. Cancer is most treatable when caught in early stages can greatly increase the chances of successful treatment and recovery.

Cancers which can be detected with screening include: 

• Breast – Mammography is credited with detecting 80% to 90% of breast cancers in women without symptoms.
• Cervical – When cervical cancer is caught at that early stage, the five-year relative survival rate is over 90%.
• Colon and rectal – Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer ranks as the third-most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. 
• Endometrial – Endometrial cancer is the most common type of cancer in the uterus affecting primarily post-menopausal women.
• Lung – Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It’s responsible for about one in five cancer deaths.
• Skin – When detected early, the five-year survival rate for melanoma is 99%.

If you are at increased risk or high risk of developing cancer, it’s essential to talk to your primary care provider. Discuss the best screening options for you as early and often as possible, know your risk and make healthy lifestyle choices.

Cancer Screening by Age

Age 21-29

• Get a Pap test and human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years regardless of sexual activity and history starting at age 25. The American Cancer Society recommends a Pap test every three years if not combined with an HPV test. 
• Talk with your primary care provider about your risk for breast cancer and colon cancer and when you should start getting regular screenings. 
• Do a breast self-exam once a month. 
• Conduct a thorough self-exam monthly of all skin, including under your nails and hair, and report any concerns to your provider. Look for new spots, bleeding sores that won’t heal, rough or scaly red patches, wart-like growths, new moles or moles that change size, shape, color or have irregular shape.

Age 30-39

• Get a Pap test and HPV test every five years regardless of sexual activity and history. The American Cancer Society recommends a Pap test every three years if not combined with an HPV test.
• Talk with your primary care provider about your risk for breast cancer and when you should start getting regular mammograms.
• Do a breast self-exam once a month.
• Conduct a thorough self-exam monthly of all skin, including under your nails and hair, and report any concerns to your provider. Look for new spots, bleeding sores that won’t heal, rough or scaly red patches, wart-like growths, new moles or moles that change size, shape, color or have irregular shape.

Age 40-49

• Get a Pap test and HPV test every five years regardless of sexual activity and history. The American Cancer Society recommends a Pap test every three years if not combined with an HPV test.
• Get a mammogram once a year to check for breast cancer.
• Do a breast self-exam once a month.
• Conduct a thorough self-exam monthly of all skin, including under your nails and hair, and report any concerns to your provider. Look for new spots, bleeding sores that won’t heal, rough or scaly red patches, wart-like growths, new moles or moles that change size, shape, color or have irregular shape.
• Get a colonoscopy every 10 years beginning at age 45. Other colorectal cancer screening options include:
  • Stool-based test every year
  • Stool-based DNA test every three years
  • CT colonography test every five years

Age 50 and older

• Get a Pap test and HPV test every five years regardless of sexual activity and history. The American Cancer Society recommends a Pap test every three years if not combined with an HPV test. Women with no abnormal results from past tests and at average risk can stop screening at age 65.
• Get a mammogram once a year to check for breast cancer.
• Do a breast self-exam once a month.
• Conduct a thorough self-exam monthly of all skin, including under your nails and hair, and report any concerns to your provider. Look for new spots, bleeding sores that won’t heal, rough or scaly red patches, wart-like growths, new moles or moles that change size, shape, color or have irregular shape.
• Get a colonoscopy every 10 years. If you’re at average risk for colorectal cancer, you can stop screening at age 75. Other colorectal cancer screening options include:
  • Stool-based test every year
  • Stool-based DNA test every three years
  • CT colonography test every five years

• If you’re a current or former smoker in good health with at least a 20-pack year smoking history, you may qualify for a low dose lung cancer CT screening. Talk to your provider.

Cancer Risk Factors

Certain factors may put women at higher risk for developing cancer. Knowing your risk factors can help you and your provider create a plan to stay healthy.

• Age
• Alcohol consumption
• Diet
• Family history of cancer
• HPV infections
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Use of cancer-causing substances, such as weed killer