Cancer screening is an important part of overall healthcare. This is because the effective way to survive cancer is to detect the disease at an early stage and completely eliminate it from the body, before the cancerous cells spread to the rest of the body.
There exist ways to identify the presence of cancer even before the disease starts manifesting itself in the form of symptoms.
Benefits of cancer screening
- Cancer screening helps detect the presence of cancer before it spreads throughout the body, making treatment easier and more effective.
- The earlier the detection of the presence of cancer, the better are an individual’s chances of survival.
- Early detection also means less treatment in terms of both, costs and use of chemicals and light therapy.
- Early detection of cancer also means detection of the problem before an individual has to suffer from the symptoms of the manifestation of the disease inside the body.
Facing your fears may be difficult-but important
Many individuals are hesitant to schedule cancer screenings for the fear of a positive result. People may sometimes choose to live in ignorance than actually acknowledge the reality of the presence of the disease in their bodies. Ignorance, however, does not cause the disease to go away – taking steps to eradicate the disease from the body is the only solution to the problem.
Facing the fear of the potential presence of the disease is the first step towards completely removing the disease from the body. If the results are in your favor and indicate the absence of the disease, then at least you are sure that you do not suffer from it. And if the results show up a positive indication of the presence of the disease in your body, it may be disappointing news to hear, but it is best to be in the know and to be able to take steps to prevent the spread of the disease and completely eliminate it before it leads to further complications.
Cancer screening tests can help detect cancer at an early stage and as is common knowledge, early detection greatly multiplies the chances of successful treatment of the disease.
There exist several different types of cancer screening tests. These include the following:
- Laboratory tests: Cancer screening blood tests and oral cancer screening tests are only some of the various laboratory tests available for the screening and early detection of cancer. Other laboratory tests include the following:
◦ Urine
◦ Tissue
◦ Hormonal imbalances
- Physical exam and history analysis: A thorough general exam of the body as well as an analysis of personal medical history and the familial genetic history of the disease can help a practicing professional predict the onset of cancer in an individual’s body. A general cancer screening check up includes looking for a lump or anything else that seems unusual.
- Genetic tests: Genetic tests are tests that are performed in order to look for genetic changes or mutations in the body, that are indications of the manifestations of some forms of cancer.
- Imaging procedures: Some imaging procedures may also be performed as a part of cancer screening tests in order to obtain pictures of the areas inside the body for further analysis.