Saving lives through Early Detection.
The Breast, Cervical, and Colon Health Program seeks to make cancer screenings available to everyone. You may be eligible for a free exam if you are:
* age 40 through 64
* have limited income
* have no insurance or limited insurance
Breast Cancer Screening
All women are at risk for breast cancer. The two most important risk factors are being a woman and getting older. You can have tests to find changes in your breasts early. When breast cancer is found early, it can be treated.
These are the three steps to breast health: have a yearly mammogram starting at age 40, have a yearly clinical breast exam by your doctor, and do breast self-exam at home monthly.
A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast that can find breast cancer when it is very small, even too small to feel. It is the best test we have today for finding breast cancer. Have a mammogram every year starting when you are age 40. If you are under 40 and have breast concerns, talk to your health care practitioner.
A clinical breast exam is done by your practitioner in her office. She will look at and feel your breasts and under your arms to look for breast changes.Sometimes breast cancer can be felt, but not seen on a mammgoram. Have a breast exam every year starting at age 40.
A breast self-exam can be done at home every month to monitor changes in your breasts. Contact your practitioner if you notice any of these things in your breasts: a lump or thickening; swelling, warmth, or redness; a change in the size or shape; dimpling or puckering of the skin; an itchy rash of the nipple.
Take charge of your breast health by following these three steps- you may save your own life!
Cervical Cancer Screening
A Pap smear has long been a part of a woman's routine health care. The Pap can detect cell changes that may lead to cancer of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus, or womb. HPV (human papillomaviruses), a common sexually transmitted infection, is known to be a significant risk factor in the development of cervical cancer. A pelvic exam and a pap test are suggested every 1 to 3 years, depending on your health care provider's recommendation.
Colon Cancer Screening
In general, your risk of developing colon cancer increases as you age. If this is your only risk factor, you are considered "average risk." Other factors in your personal and family medical history may increase your risk. The simplest way for average-risk individuals to prevent colon cancer is to receive colon cancer screening starting at age 50. Colon cancer screenings are available to men and women.
Colon cancer is the third leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States and the second most common cancer in Washington State. For average risk persons, stool-sample kits are the first screening method. For peope at an elevated risk, colonoscopies are recommended. Colonoscopy is a procedure used to see inside the colon and rectum. This procedure can detect inflamed tissue, ulcers, and abnormal growths. It is used to look for early signs of colorectal cancer. Getting a colonoscopy can reduce the average person's risk of dying from colon cancer by 90% and when diagnosed early, the majority of colon cancers are completely curable.
Contact Nancy Adams at (360) 452-2012 to schedule your screening today!