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Testing
What testing should a person have done when they are 46 and have a family history of Cancer? Blood test in particular. Bare in mind most Insurance comp. will not pay unless you are 50 Colonscopy. ETC
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi. The kind of cancer screening procedures a 46 year old person should undergo depends on his sex, any previous personal history of cancer, the types of cancer the person's family has, and the presence of specific genetic syndromes in the family.
For men, baseline screening for prostate cancer should be done at age 40 using both digital rectal examination (DRE) to feel for any overt masses, and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), which is a blood test. An initial PSA value of at least 0.6 ng/ml, African-American ancestry, or a strong family history for prostate cancer should prompt annual retesting by DRE and PSA determination.
Women on the other hand, should have an annual screening mammography and clinical breast exam when they are at least 40 years old. However, women who are deemed to have a higher risk for this cancer should be screened earlier (25 years old or even younger in some cases). High risk refers to those who have any of the following conditions: previous history of breast cancer, a mass with atypical hyperplasia on biopsy, strong family history or genetic predisposition (e.g. BRCA 1 and 2 genes), prior radiotherapy to the chest, or a five-year risk of invasive breast cancer of at least 1.7% in women 35 years or older, using the modified Gail model for calculating risk (see http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/Default.aspx). There is no blood test available at present which can be reliably used for breast cancer screening.
Women should also be screened for cervical cancer beginning three years after she has started having sexual intercourse. The screening is done using cervical cytology smears or Pap smears,which are performed annually, then every 2-3 years if the results of 3 consecutive smears are negative.
For those who have at least one first degree relative (or two second degree relatives) with colon cancer, screening colonoscopy should be started at age 40 or 10 years prior to the earliest colorectal cancer in the family. This should be repeated every 5 years if the relative had cancer at age 50 or later, and every 1-5 years if the relative had the cancer before 50 years of age.
For men, baseline screening for prostate cancer should be done at age 40 using both digital rectal examination (DRE) to feel for any overt masses, and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), which is a blood test. An initial PSA value of at least 0.6 ng/ml, African-American ancestry, or a strong family history for prostate cancer should prompt annual retesting by DRE and PSA determination.
Women on the other hand, should have an annual screening mammography and clinical breast exam when they are at least 40 years old. However, women who are deemed to have a higher risk for this cancer should be screened earlier (25 years old or even younger in some cases). High risk refers to those who have any of the following conditions: previous history of breast cancer, a mass with atypical hyperplasia on biopsy, strong family history or genetic predisposition (e.g. BRCA 1 and 2 genes), prior radiotherapy to the chest, or a five-year risk of invasive breast cancer of at least 1.7% in women 35 years or older, using the modified Gail model for calculating risk (see http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/Default.aspx). There is no blood test available at present which can be reliably used for breast cancer screening.
Women should also be screened for cervical cancer beginning three years after she has started having sexual intercourse. The screening is done using cervical cytology smears or Pap smears,which are performed annually, then every 2-3 years if the results of 3 consecutive smears are negative.
For those who have at least one first degree relative (or two second degree relatives) with colon cancer, screening colonoscopy should be started at age 40 or 10 years prior to the earliest colorectal cancer in the family. This should be repeated every 5 years if the relative had cancer at age 50 or later, and every 1-5 years if the relative had the cancer before 50 years of age.
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