Cancer screening recommended

A medical checkup for cancer or for conditions that may lead to cancer in individuals who have no symptoms for any cancerous disease is a screening test. They are routine medical checkups like other normal medical visits. However, there are tumor markers that have been developed to detect cancer cells in blood. As a tumor grows, it secretes toxic substances that tumor markers will detect in blood. Screening helps doctors find and treat some types of cancer diseases early. However, not all types of cancer have screening tests as most of the tests are currently under study. In a few years, we expect to have all screening tests.In Africa, many people tend to have a feeling that cancer is not curable. It is a disease like other illnesses though it is aggressive and therefore calls for an aggressive approach of treatment that many people cannot afford.Most of the curable treatment for cancer prolongs life for more than 10 years. To prolong life for 10 years is a big achievement in medicine and this has enlightened health experts on improved advances in cancer treatment. Today, experts believe that cancer is no longer deadly but curable. However, the survival chances for persons diagnosed with cancer depend on the type of the disease, stage and treatment modalities.This is why it is advisable to go for a screening test in order to provide full profile of an individual health status.A screening test can only save lives if it advances the time of diagnosis and early treatment is more effective than delayed treatment. The problem is that the majority of healthcare providers do not understand the reliability of the screening evidence. This kind of knowledge is never taught in medical schools but it is a dilemma that one develops in the course of their career.Healthcare providers should be sensitised on screening techniques so as to guide people who seek services. Health experts should consider various factors before they suggest a screening test. You have to put considerations on the type of test and cancer cells to be tested. Here, you think about factors like age, medical history, general health condition, family history, and lifestyle of the patient. For example, most lung cancer patients have the history of smoking or live with smokers that make them inhale that secondary toxic smoke.Healthcare providers should also think about the risks and benefits of treatment if testing finds cancer without prior knowledge of the patient. This helps to put into consideration how well the treatment works and the side effects it will cause.You may want to talk to your doctor about the possible benefits and harms of being checked for cancer. The decision to be screened, like many other medical decisions, is a personal initiative. Many screening tests available are used widely to check for cancers of the breast, colon, rectum and the cervix. An ordinary test like the mammogram is the best tool doctors use to trace some abnormalities linked to breast cancer early, especially in women above 40. The Pap smear or Pap test is used to check cells from the cervix. The doctor scrapes a sample of cells from the cervix. A lab checks the cells for cancer or changes that may lead to cancer such as the human papilloma virus. The human papilloma virus is the highest cause of cervical cancer in majority of African women. This is the reason why in the past few years the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with its partners, launched a screening test for cervix cancer.Detection of polyps in people with problems in the intestines should be highly considered as they tend to provide evidence for the cancer of colon and rectum. Polyps bleed and stool in blood usually provides an alarm to proceed with the screening test for cancer of the colon and rectum.For the lower GIT, tests such as colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and rectal exam provides some information on the state of tissues in most parts of GIT that involves the anus, rectum, colon and small intestines. Any bad feeling in any of the above mentioned body parts, should seek some of the mentioned tests for possible screening.There are tumor markers available to test the above mentioned types of cancer diseases. Tumor markers for lung tumors, liver tumors among others are also available on the market.Dr Joseph Kamugisha is a resident oncologist in Jerusalem, Israel