The Importance of Cancer Screenings
- New research is suggesting that Generation Xers and Millennials across the country who are at a heightened risk of developing 17 types of cancer, more so than older generations.
- If you’re worried about the concerning heighten risk of cancer among Gen Xers and Millennials revealed in the recent study, SurvivorNet recommends some things you should refrain from doing in an effort to prevent cancer and what doctors recommend – further emphasizing the importance of cancer screenings.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that adults age 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer, or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen may be younger than 40.
- Making all of your doctor’s appointments for major health screenings is a good way to make sure your health is covered from all angles, whether it’s a mammogram, Pap smear, colonoscopy, screening for prostate cancer, or lung cancer scan.
Smulders, now 42, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25 and went into remission 12 years later, however a new study from American Cancer Society researchers are suggesting that people like the Canadian actress, born between between 1965 and 1996 area more likely to be diagnosed with 17 types of cancer than prior generations.
Read More“Birth cohorts, groups of people classified by their birth year, share unique social, economic, political, and climate environments, which affect their exposure to cancer risk factors during their crucial developmental years.”
“Although we have identified cancer trends associated with birth years, we don’t yet have a clear explanation for why these rates are rising,” Dr. Sung added.
Expert Resources On Cancer Screenings
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- All Americans Should Begin Colorectal Cancer Screening at Age 45, According to New Guidelines; Previous Age Was 50
- Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings Dropped 87% and 84% Respectively During the Height of the Pandemic; Why It’s Imperative To Get Back on Track
- Black Americans Need to Prioritize Cancer Screenings, Says Leading Radiation Oncologist
- Could A Urine Test Be The Future of Prostate Cancer Screening? Leading Experts Weigh In
- Baby Aspirin For Colorectal Cancer Prevention Is Still OK, Just Check With Your Doctor First And Keep Up-To-Date On Your Screenings
The study looked into data from approximately 24 million patients battling 34 types of cancer, with cancer death data from about 7 million people for 25 types of cancer.
Individuals in the study ranged in age from 25 to 84, during the time frame of Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2019. Additionally, the data was taken from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
Cancer rates were compared throughout the different generations by calculating “birth cohort-specific incidence rate ratios and mortality rate ratios, adjusted for age effect and period effect, by birth years, separated by five-year intervals, from 1920 to 1990,” the study’s press release explains.
The findings ultimately discovered that the incident for pancreatic, small intestine, and kidney cancers were about two-to-three times higher for people born in the early 1990s than those born in the mid 1950s.
“Additionally, incidence rates increased in younger cohorts, after a decline in older birth cohorts, for nine of the remaining cancers including breast cancer (estrogen-receptor positive only), uterine corpus cancer, colorectal cancer, non-cardia gastric cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, anal cancer in male individuals, and Kaposi sarcoma in male individuals,” the study authors explain in the press release.
RELATED: What You Need to Know About Pancreatic Cancer
“Across cancer types, the incidence rate in the 1990 birth cohort ranged from 12% for ovarian cancer to 169% for uterine corpus cancer higher than the rate in the birth cohort with the lowest incidence rate.”
Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study, also raised awareness that the rise in cancer rates among the younger group “indicate generational shifts in cancer risk and often serve as an early indicator of future cancer burden in the country.”
Dr. Jemal continued, “Without effective population-level interventions, and as the elevated risk in younger generations is carried over as individuals age, an overall increase in cancer burden could occur in the future, halting or reversing decades of progress against the disease.
“The data highlights the critical need to identify and address underlying risk factors in Gen X and Millennial populations to inform prevention strategies.”
Meanwhile, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Lisa Lacasse pointed out the importance of making sure all ages have “affordable, comprehensive health insurance.”
“To that end, ACS CAN will continue our longstanding work to urge lawmakers to expand Medicaid in states that have yet to do so as well as continue to advocate for making permanent the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies that have opened the door to access to care for millions,” she said in a statement.
The Importance of Cancer Prevention & Screenings
Cancer screenings can help all generations stay on top of their health and fight cancer as soon as possible, but it may be overwhelming when you start thinking of wear to begin. Therefore, speaking with your doctor about when to start screening for certain cancers, depending on your risk factors, and following recommended guidelines from reputable sources like the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, will certainly be helpful.
As for actress Cobie Smulders, she thankfully was diagnosed earlier on with ovarian cancer and beat the disease, which has a reputation for being a devastating disease. However, when caught early, it has a better than 90% cure rate. The problem is, it’s not an easy disease to diagnose, especially in its nascent stages, so only 20% of cases are caught early.
It’s important to remember that there isn’t just one ovarian cancer; there are many different types that are more likely to occur at different life stages. In fact, researchers have identified more than 30 types.
One thing that these types of cancer have in common is that they’re tricky to diagnose. Because the symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific and can be misattributed to anything from menopause to last night’s sketchy supper, most women don’t even mention their symptoms to their doctors until they become severe. And then there’s the lack of any widely available screening test for the disease.
Yearly pelvic exams and pap smears can screen for many different conditions — STDs, pregnancy, various infections, along with gynecological cancers of the cervix, uterus, fallopian tube, and vulva. If your gynecologist includes a rectovaginal exam, they can check and see how the ovaries feel, but a pelvic exam alone is not an effective screening mechanism for this kind of cancer.
While we have mammograms to scan for breast cancer (though they’re not 100% accurate), colonoscopies which reveal anything suspicious lurking in the colon or rectum, and cervical cancer which can be diagnosed via a pap smear or HPV test, unless there’s a family history of ovarian cancer along with recurring symptoms, most gynecologists will not suggest an in-depth workup for the disease.
Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, says, “In certain high-risk women, who have either inherited a defect in a gene called BRCA1 or 2 or other associated genes with hereditary ovarian cancer, you should undergo an ultrasound of the pelvistrans-vaginal ultrasound and a CA-125 [blood test], because it’s the best we have at the current time.”
But these tests are only routinely available for women with the aforementioned family histories of cancer, inherited genetic conditions such as Lynch syndrome and/or women presenting with recurring symptoms of the disease.
In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, low-risk women may be better off skipping screening if they aren’t experiencing symptoms. “In studies of women at average risk of ovarian cancer, using TVUS [trans-vaginal ultrasound] and CA-125 [blood test] for screening led to more testing and sometimes more surgeries, but did not lower the number of deaths caused by ovarian cancer.” And so for that reason, they don’t recommend routine testing.
So while there’s no widespread screening method currently available, researchers are working hard to find one. As Dr. Karlan says, “finding an early detection method for ovarian cancer is really like the holy grail.”
Screening For Pancreatic, Colorectal, and Stomach Cancers
Pancreatic cancer is one of the other cancers more likely to develop in Gen Xers and Millennials, and it’s a cancer that begins in the pancreas and is known as the “silent disease.”
Symptoms of the disease rarely show up until it has advanced and metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body. Although pancreatic cancer survival rates have been improving, it’s still considered to be largely incurable. An exception to this is if the tumor is still small enough and localized enough to be operated on.
As the pancreas is deep inside the body, a tumor on it isn’t as readily detectable as say, a melanoma on somebody’s face, but there are symptoms that could point to pancreatic cancer. These include jaundice, weight loss, back pain and diabetes. Of course, these aren’t just symptoms for pancreatic cancer, but could mean a host of other diseases instead.
Detecting Pancreatic Cancer Early Is Crucial
The thankfully low incidence of pancreatic cancer means that they probably are a sign of something else, but if two or more members of your family have had pancreatic cancer, or if you have pancreatic cysts, then you’re at high risk, and it’s worth asking your doctor to check for pancreatic cancer. Up to ten percent of pancreatic cancer cases are caused by inherited genetic syndromes.
As for colon cancer recommended age to begin screening is 45. However, research is pointing to a concerning increase of younger people getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Colon cancer is almost completely preventable with screening, but according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1/3 of adults are not getting the recommended screening.
If you’re at average risk, meaning you don’t have risk factors like smoking or a family history, the American Cancer Society advises getting regular colonoscopies once you turn 45. A colonoscopy is a test that uses a long, thin tube attached to a camera, which lets your doctor check for polyps throughout your whole colon and rectum. You’ll get one colonoscopy that will serve as a baseline, and, if your doctor doesn’t find any polyps, you’ll have another one in 10 years.
Dr. Heather Yeo, on why it’s important for everyone — even those without a family history of colon cancer — to get screened
As for stomach cancer, and according to the National Cancer Institute, there is no standard or routine screening tests to detect this disease in people with average risk across the U.S. However, researchers are working to create these types of tests.
The NCI explains, Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help detect cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. ”
For anyone with symptoms or a heightened risk of stomach cancer, an upper endoscopy would be performed to look inside the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (first area of the small intestine) for anything abnormal.
“An endoscope is passed through the mouth and down the throat into the esophagus. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue, which is checked under a microscope for signs of disease,” the NCI explains.
Advocating for Yourself, or a Loved One
Just as being your own advocate is important when it comes to your body, it is just as important for parents to advocate for a loved one, or their child’s health. And by doing so, you can make sure that your doctor sees you and your child as an individual in the diagnosis and treatment process.
“One of the biggest things that I did from the very beginning was asking the right questions,” Alex Echols, a patient advocate and lymphoma survivor, tells SurvivorNet. “It’s our lives on the line.”
Advocating for Yourself While Navigating the Medical World
He credits these questions with making sure that doctors took him seriously and viewed him as a partner in his treatment
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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