In today’s rapidly advancing medical technology, cancer cure rates are not as good as they should be. Why is it so? Shi Yuankai, Vice President of Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, pointed out that the most important reason is that most patients are already in the middle and late stages when they come to the hospital. But cancer is something that needs to be “prepared for a rainy day”, and only with early detection can this disease be truly defeated.
However, routine physical examination is not enough to catch the signs of cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to plan and conduct targeted cancer screening. So, what kind of cancer prevention checkups are needed at different ages?
After 20 years old: check for cervical cancer after two years of marriage
Marriage brings not only sweetness but also some diseases to human beings, cervical cancer is one of them. As one of the most common malignant tumors in gynecology, cervical cancer claims the lives of more than 200,000 women every year. However, since cervical cancer has no symptoms in its early stages, many women are already in advanced stages once they are discovered. So, how can you try to avoid this situation?
”The first thing is to find out the high incidence of cervical cancer.” Cervical cancer is closely related to sexual life, and a lot of information at home and abroad confirms that women with early marriage, early childbirth, multiple births, poor sexual hygiene and disordered sexual life have a higher prevalence rate.
”The age of 40-60 is the high incidence age of cervical cancer; however, in recent years, the incidence of cervical cancer tends to be younger, and the number of cervical cancer patients younger than 30 years old has a significant upward trend.” It is best for women to start Pap smear for cervical cancer screening two years after they have their first sexual intercourse and insist on doing it once a year; after the age of 30, they can be examined based on risk factors, and if the results are negative for three or more consecutive times, the number of times they are examined can be reduced so that cancer invasion can be well prevented.
It should be reminded that in the annual physical examination of some organizations, the item of “tumor markers” is often included. Xu Zhijian told reporters that tumor markers can help diagnose and monitor tumor recurrence, although they cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis, but if elevated values are found, it indicates the possible existence of tumor, and further examination is needed to clarify the diagnosis at this time, so don’t take it lightly.
After 30 years old: three lines of defense to stop breast cancer
Breast is the symbol of a woman, but it is also the biggest killer of her life. Nowadays, breast cancer is at the top of the list of tumors that affect women. With early diagnosis and timely treatment, patients can still have a good chance of recovery. Therefore, from the age of 30, women should take good care of their breasts.
Women with abnormal menstruation, late marriage, family history, high-fat and high-calorie food, estrogen abuse, and mental stress are all at high risk of breast cancer, and it is best for these women to start breast cancer screening at a young age.
Self-examination. This is the most convenient and easy way to check. According to Xu Hong, deputy director of breast surgery of the Armed Forces General Hospital, 7-10 days after menstruation is the most suitable time for self-examination; women who have stopped menstruation or menopause should determine a fixed day of the month for self-examination. One is to stand in front of the mirror to see whether the size and shape of the breast is symmetrical, whether the contour has changed, whether there is discharge from the nipple and whether it is retracted. The second is to feel, using the belly of the index, middle and ring fingers to check the breast for lumps by pressing, spiraling or sliding. When you find abnormalities in your breasts such as painless lumps, localized breast or nipple indentation, or enlarged axillary lymph nodes, you should promptly go to the hospital for examination.
Ultrasound examination. Non-invasive and can be applied repeatedly. Our women have denser breast tissue, so ultrasound examination is more able to see all structural changes in the breast, and is also suitable for women under 30 years old.
X-ray examination. Malignant lumps often have irregular images with burr edges and higher density than the surrounding glands, all of which can be identified by x-ray. However, if the breast tissue is too dense, it is not easy to detect the disease by X-ray, so it is suitable for women over 40 years old.
After 40: smokers must keep an eye on their lungs
When people reach middle age, many diseases will come uninvited. Among the cancer family, lung cancer and stomach cancer are the two most likely members to be “on the rise” at this time. To prevent and detect these two types of cancers, what medical checkup plans should be implemented?
”Lung cancer accounts for the highest cancer incidence and mortality rate in the world, and China’s lung cancer incidence rate is the highest in the world.” People over 40 years old, with a history of smoking, industrial and mining workers, long-term exposure to radioactive substances and those with a family history of tumor disease are the high incidence of lung cancer. Lung cancer does not have any special symptoms in the early stage and is easily ignored by patients and doctors. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people, especially those who are addicted to smoking, should be listed as a key group for lung cancer screening and be examined once every six months to once a year. Chest X-ray or CT examination, etc., can timely detect variable round shadows, pneumonia, pulmonary atelectasis, pleural effusion, etc., which have positive significance for early detection of lung cancer.
More than 70% of early gastric cancers also have no obvious symptoms, so physical examination becomes more important. There are many screening methods for gastric cancer, including pepsin test, H. pylori test, gastrointestinal X-ray, etc. In addition, endoscopy can directly observe various parts of the stomach, which is especially valuable for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer. Xu Zhijian pointed out that early gastric cancer tumors are small and the 5-year survival rate can reach over 70% after surgical removal.
After 50 years old: finger examination comes in handy
Although cancer is increasingly targeting young people, its “love” for the elderly has not diminished. In particular, the incidence of colon cancer, prostate cancer and other tumors that are more prevalent in the elderly has been increasing in recent years.
Finger exams are useful for detecting colon cancer and prostate cancer, and they are very convenient and easy to perform. However, the most accurate method is screening.
After 50 years old, patients with colon and rectal polyps, family history of colon cancer, history of diarrhea, constipation and blood in stool, it is better to do colonoscopy for screening of colon lesions; while those who cannot do colonoscopy, such as those who are old, weak and have serious heart and lung diseases, can regularly check their colon with CT.
As for prostate cancer, patients with prostate cancer in China are generally diagnosed at a late stage, which greatly affects their survival rate. “The reason why patients are diagnosed late is the lack of screening. In fact, the screening is very simple – a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), or an anal examination by a doctor. Therefore, all men over the age of 50 should add this test to their physical exam.” If the prostate specific antigen is positive once, the diagnosis cannot be confirmed hastily and needs to be repeated 2 to 3 times and inflammation ruled out and puncture tests performed if necessary.