How cancer screenings can save your life

Though most pandemic-related restrictions have eased, doctors are continuing their effort to raise awareness about the importance of timely, recommended cancer screenings.

While health care providers delayed some cancer screening procedures in the pandemic’s early days to prioritize COVID-19 treatment, doctors soon began stressing the importance of getting these procedures back on track — and eventually, improving rates to reach new heights in life-saving early detection, and sometimes, prevention.

“We’ve always stressed the importance of timely and thorough cancer screenings at Ohio State, and this became even more vital since so many people stepped away from the health care system at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says David Cohn, MD, MBA, the interim CEO of the OSUCCC – James. “It’s imperative that providers — from primary care to oncologists — do all we can to make our patients aware of the life-saving benefits of recommended screenings.”

Lung cancer

The leading cause of cancer-related deaths, lung cancer presents many treatment challenges, due largely to symptoms that present late or are mistaken for signs of less serious conditions.

Fortunately, early diagnoses can significantly improve lung cancer patients’ survival chances, and new screening technologies can help doctors catch cases at more treatable stages. The key to maximizing the effectiveness of screening programs involves reaching people in the groups considered most at risk.

Recently, the American Cancer Society updated it's screening to expand the qualifications for lung cancer screening. The guidelines differ somewhat from those of the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), which informs many coverage policies from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.

Both organizations recommend lung cancer screening for people aged 50-80 with 20 or higher pack-year histories, but the American Cancer Society now advises anyone who smokes or has ever smoked to undergo testing, while the USPSTF suggests screening for current smokers and those who have smoked during the last 15 years.

Click here for a closer look at current lung cancer screening recommendations from the American Cancer Society and the USPSTF.

“Doctors can order non-invasive CT scans that literally take less than 60 seconds. There’s no pain, and no IVs so there's no contrast,” Desmond D'Souza, MD, says.

Click here to learn more about lung cancer screening at The Ohio State University.

Breast cancer

One of the most commonly-diagnosed cancers in women, breast cancer is often very treatable (depending on the type) with a five-year survival rate of more than 90 percent when detected early. However, the chances of positive outcomes can drop dramatically when breast cancers are discovered in late stages.

While self-examination is a great first step toward identifying breast cancer early, women should begin undergoing mammograms on regular bases depending on age and risk factors to give themselves the best chances of early detection.

“We don’t want people to put off their screening exams —mammography is well established and it works,” Clayton Taylor, MD, says. “Most importantly, women who have a breast problem, like a lump, should not delay seeking care and breast imaging if needed.”

Click here to learn more about mammography recommendations and services from the OSUCCC – James.

Colorectal cancer

Over the past two decades, screening procedures like colonoscopies have led to significant progress in reducing cases of and deaths from colon cancer, though it remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.

To build upon that progress, doctors want to make sure anyone who has put off their recommended colonoscopies schedule the procedures as soon as possible.

“Cancers start from small changes in individual cells. As those cells grow and replicate, they can form growths on the colon called polyps,” Matthew Kalady, MD, says. “A colonoscopy allows for the removal of the polyps before they become cancer. Thus, colonoscopy is one of the procedures that can actually prevent cancer before it happens.”

Colon cancer is among the many health issues that disproportionately affect Black Americans, with members of that community at significantly higher risk for diagnoses and death.

Ohio State experts are addressing the problem through an initiative that provides at-home colorectal cancer screening kits to qualifying patients through the mail, which can then be completed and returned for evaluation.

“It’s critical that we find ways to increase timely cancer screening adherence,” Subhankar Chakraborty, MD, PhD, says. “Early detection is truly a matter of life or death in some cases. We want to catch the disease at its precancerous stage.”

Click here to learn more about colorectal cancer screening.

A global effort

Cancer affects us all, so it’s imperative that doctors and patients around the world work together to increase the number of annual screenings, including those for cancers of the skin, prostate, cervix, testicles, and many more.

“When available, timely screenings are our most important tools for catching cancers at their earliest and most treatable stages," Cohn says. "The number of lives that could be saved each year with even modest increases in screening rates is enormous — this includes tests like a colonoscopy that can even prevent cancer altogether.”

Click to learn more about cancer screening services from The Ohio State University.