Cancer screening at an early stage can prevent the patient from serious disease. With the change in lifestyle and hectic life, many diseases have surrounded us and, cancer is one such disease. In India alone, more than 15 lakh cancer cases of cancer are being reported every year. Because of the serious consequences of this disease spreading in large numbers, awareness about the same has slowly and gradually increased among the people. Now, people are getting cancer screening done for a healthy future, so that even if they get diagnosed, then with timely treatment serious consequences can be prevented.
Dr Divesh Goyal, senior medical oncologist, Fortis Escorts Hospital Jaipur, shared that even a healthy person can get himself screened so that he can come to know about the possible danger in time. “For this, first of all, a regular check-up is done. In this, many questions are asked to the person, such as whether he is addicted to tobacco or alcohol, if anyone in the family has had cancer, if he works somewhere – if yes, then if there is radiation or smoke-like situation, the environment where he lives – whether it is polluted or not. If the condition of the person is normal, then further check-ups are done. Apart from this, if the person has symptoms related to the concerned organ then he is examined further,” shares Dr Goyal. The symptoms and tests are different for every organ.
Cancer affects every organ in different ways. Dr Goyal shared further that if the doctor has even the slightest doubt of the patient having cancer in a particular organ, then it is examined further. “Cancer screening tests are different for each organ. Chest X-ray for lung cancer, mammogram and CA 15.3 for breast cancer, sonography and tumour markers for the stomach, CEA and stool occluded blood for intestinal cancer, CA 19.9 for gall bladder and pancreatic cancer, AFP for liver cancer, CA 125 for ovarian cancer, CBC and CBF for blood cancer and Pap smear test for uterine cancer. With these tests, the presence of cancer in a person can be detected,” asserts Dr Goyal. He added further that if the test comes positive, then the patient’s CT scan, MRI, biopsy of the concerned organ is done from which information about the status of cancer is detected.
While usually, one should get these tests done whenever they have any of the symptoms, Dr Goyal further shares the recommended age for these screening tests:
- In females, one should get tested after the age of 45.
- For prostate after 60 years of age
- For ovarian cancer post 50 years of age