Three tips: Decide on proactive cancer screening tests
There’s no doubt that regular, proactive cancer screening helps with early cancer detection and prevention - and that means these tests can save your life. Empower yourself with key insight into the tests you should be having.
Listen to top health experts explore the ins and outs of the cancer journey and screening tests here.
Professor Carol Ann Benn, a surgeon with a special interest in breast cancer says: “According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, research has shown that women who undergo routine mammograms are 10 to 25% less likely to die of breast cancer than those who do not. Despite the ongoing debate about the downside of screening - the false positives, false negatives or over-diagnosis (with the accompanying anxiety and stress) - organizations such as the American Cancer Society and CANSA continue to encourage regular screening tests as an important cancer preventative measure”.
Here’s what you need to know:
- You have the right to choose where to go for your screening in South Africa. By selecting a reputable unit or practice (get referrals from your doctor), you can ensure that you’ll be in the best possible hands with state of the art equipment and experienced radiologists.
- You might be daunted by the idea of screening tests. It can also be stressful to be faced with the ‘what-ifs’ in the build-up to a screening test. But, remember that the premise of screening is simply investigation to check the state of your health and ensure anything out of the ordinary is detected and dealt with as quickly as possible – to keep you healthy.
- Screening can be uncomfortable – having your breasts sandwiched between parts of a machine during a mammogram or going through a pre-colonoscopy bowel prep can be an unpleasant experience. However, the end result - receiving the all-clear or a diagnosis of a cancer that’s been detected early - definitely makes this all worthwhile.
The choice to undergo cancer screening tests rests with you. When you make the decision about whether to do so or not, remember that cancer screening is able to find pre-cancerous lesions and early stage cancer before you have symptoms - or before a cancer has spread. And that this may well mean an easier treatment journey, far fewer complications, less time in recovery and a far better prognosis all round.
The Discovery Health Medical Scheme is an independent non-profit entity governed by the Medical Schemes Act, and regulated by the Council for Medical Schemes. It is administered by a separate company, Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd, an authorised financial services provider.
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