Taking Steps to Reduce Your Cancer Risk
- Actor Taye Diggs, 55, says he prioritizes regular cancer screenings after losing both of his parents, his mother to breast cancer and his step-father to colon cancer, leaving him with a family history that fuels his advocacy for early detection.
- The award‑winning actor recalls how quickly his mother’s illness progressed and how she hid her symptoms until they became impossible to ignore, a memory that continues to shape his message today.
- With more colorectal cancer cases being detected in adults under age 50, screening guidelines have changed. It is now recommended that most people begin colorectal cancer screening with a colonoscopy at age 45.
People with risk factors, such as a family history, may need to begin screening earlier and should discuss a plan with their doctors. - The medical community has a broad consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should now start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40.
- The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
His mom bravely battled breast cancer while his dad battled colon cancer. Their deaths pushed him to become a vocal advocate for early detection.
“She was feeling weird, but she’s a trooper. It got so tough that we took her to the hospital, and then that’s when they were like, ‘Okay, she’s got cancer. She doesn’t have much [time].’ And then boom, she was gone,” he said on Fox’s “The Real Full Monty.”
He added that she kept her symptoms to herself until she could no longer hide them.
With a family history of cancer grounding his advocacy, Diggs now supports multi‑cancer early detection (MCED) tests such as CancerGuard. These tests aim to identify potential cancer signals through blood, urine, or saliva samples.
While the American Cancer Society notes that MCED tests are not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and should not replace standard screenings, they may offer another tool for catching cancer earlier.
For Diggs, the message is clear: don’t wait.
“It always seems to be a mystery around cancer, where all of a sudden, there are so many instances where nobody knew,” he said.
“People can get lucky, but a lot of times, they cannot. So let’s avoid it all and just get tested.”
Discussing His Mom’s Breast Cancer Openly Was Therapeutic
Diggs explains that talking openly about his mom’s cancer battle was therapeutic for him as he hadn’t discussed it openly before. A cancer diagnosis impacts more than just the patient; their family members and close friends also carry some of the burden related to a diagnosis.
Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of disease on family members. It was found that: “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members [as they do on the patient], including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.”
Feelings of “helplessness, lack of control, anger, embarrassment” are some common emotions parents, siblings, and other relatives within the household of someone battling a health condition may experience, according to researchers.
Other ways a disease, for example, may impact the lives of family members include:
- Affecting sleep
- Concerns about medical treatment
- Altered food choices
- Using religion, spiritual, and cultural beliefs to cope
- Concerns about understanding the disease or illness
- Needing support from others
- Limited freedom
- Worrying about the death of a loved one
Colon Cancer Screening Is Most Effective With a Colonoscopy
Colon cancer is very treatable and curable if caught early. Colon cancer screenings can involve at-home tests such as Cologuard, but a colonoscopy is more effective, according to SurvivorNet experts.
The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts.
A colonoscopy is a procedure doctors use to screen for colon cancer by looking inside the colon.
WATCH: Understanding a colonoscopy
This procedure requires your colon to be “cleaned out.” To clear out your colon, your doctor will prescribe a “bowel prep,” a liquid you drink the night before the procedure. The prep acts as a laxative that causes you to have multiple loose stools before your procedure.
Once your colon is cleared out, the gastroenterologist performing the procedure can have a clear look to evaluate if any polyps or masses are present.
Depending on the size and number of polyps found, it is recommended that patients undergo a repeat colonoscopy within three to five years.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously explained the colonoscopy procedure to SurvivorNet.
“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” he explained.
“What does that mean? That means we basically put a wire through with a little bit of a flange at the end, and we pull the polyp out. Now, note that there is no pain with that. Inside the colon, there are no pain fibers, so there’s no pain,” Dr. Murrell added.
WATCH: Debunking misconceptions about colon cancer.
The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on a colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.
The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for colorectal screening from 50 to 45. However, experts recommend screening earlier for some people who may be at an increased risk of developing colon cancer, such as those with a family history of the disease.
Expert Resources for Cancer Screening and Prevention
- ‘Get Your Pap Tests, Ladies!’ — Actor Marcia Cross Advocates for Screening During Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
- 3 Common Myths About Ovarian Cancer Screening
- Black Americans Need to Prioritize Cancer Screenings, Says Leading Radiation Oncologist
- Black Women May Need To Start Breast Cancer Screening At 42, According To A New Study
- Colon Cancer Screening Options And Genetics: Myth Busting With Dr. Heather Yeo
- Colon Cancer: Introduction to Prevention and Screening
- Early Detection, Better Outcomes: What To Know About PSA Screening For Prostate Cancer
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
Since Diggs’ mother battled breast cancer, here is some helpful information to keep in mind regarding the disease.
The medical community has a broad consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should now start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
WATCH: When you’re getting a mammogram, ask about dense breasts.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
Breast Cancer Symptoms & Self-Exams
Women are encouraged to do regular self-exams to become familiar with how their breasts feel normally, so when something unusual, like a lump, does form, it can be easily detected. A self-exam includes pressing your fingertips along your breast in a circular motion.
For some women, that means going to their doctor and walking through what a self-breast exam looks like, so they know what normal breast tissue feels like so if they do feel something abnormal, whether it’s a lump or discharge from the nipple, they know what to ask and what to look for.
Below are common symptoms to look out for:
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
- Any change in the size or shape of the breast
- Swelling of all or part of the breast
- Skin dimpling or peeling
- Breast or nipple pain
- Nipple turning inward
- Redness or scaliness of the breast or nipple skin
- Nipple discharge (not associated with breastfeeding)
WATCH: How SurvivorNet’s Proprietary AI-tool “My Health Questions” Is Making a Difference In Patient’s Lives
If you have questions about symptoms or a diagnosis, make use of SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI-platform “My Health Questions” to assist you with your health journey.
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