Early screening methods for 7 common cancers, 99% of people regret knowing it too late!

Whenever I go back to my hometown during the holidays, I always hear my aunts and uncles say that someone was in good health, could eat, drink and work, but they didn’t need a physical examination. When they did, they found out they had cancer and were scared to death. Anyway, they will never go for a physical examination in the future…

Whether it is the middle-aged or the elderly or the young, the reason why they are afraid to have a physical examination can be summed up in one word: fear. They are afraid of being diagnosed with a disease, especially cancer.

But cancer is not caused by physical examinations. Regular physical examinations can help detect early cancer or precancerous lesions.

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01

Is it necessary to do cancer prevention physical examination?

Some people believe that routine physical examinations are meaningless and should only be done when there is a need to check for specific diseases, and that cancer prevention physical examinations are "useless."

This idea is actually totally wrong!

According to a survey by the World Health Organization: 1/3 of cancers can be prevented, 1/3 of cancers can be cured if discovered early, and 1/3 of cancers can alleviate pain and prolong life.

Many malignant tumors may not have any symptoms in the early stages, and most precancerous lesions are almost unnoticeable until the tumor compresses normal tissues and affects body functions, which is often the case in the middle or late stages. Cancer prevention physical examinations are physical examinations for common cancers based on cancer risk assessments to detect early cancer or precancerous lesions and conduct early intervention.

Although advanced cancer is usually difficult to cure, early-stage cancer has a high chance of being cured . The earlier the discovery and intervention, the higher the chance of being cured. A community lung cancer screening study conducted in China showed that 94.1% of confirmed cases detected by low-dose spiral CT (LDCT) were stage IA-IB lung cancer. The vast majority of patients with early-stage lung cancer can be cured through local treatments such as surgery.

If we want to detect early cancer as early as possible and strive for a cure, we must not rely on our own symptoms to make judgments, but must rely on professional cancer prevention physical examinations.

02

What information should be collected before the physical examination?

Before you have a physical examination, think about:

1. Recent physical condition

What specific disease is it, what symptoms are there, how long these problems have lasted, when did they occur, etc.

2. Past medical history, family history of cancer in immediate family members

Cancer is usually related to some chronic diseases, and some cancers have obvious familial associations. Therefore, targeted physical examinations can be carried out according to the corresponding circumstances.

3. Environmental factors

Are there any high-risk environmental factors that cause cancer in your living or working environment?

4. Do you have any bad living habits?

For example, long-term smoking, alcoholism, betel nut chewing, irregular work and rest, or long-term anxiety, depression, etc.

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03

How to choose targeted screening items?

The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" believes that standardized cancer prevention physical examinations are an important way to detect cancer and precancerous lesions. Current technical means can detect most common cancers early.

In addition to developing a healthy lifestyle, what cancer screenings should be done for different cancers?

1. Lung cancer: Low-dose spiral CT scan of the chest

The Chinese Medical Association's Guidelines for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer (2022 Edition) states that the incidence and mortality of lung cancer in China are both ranked first among malignant tumors. Screening is the most effective means of detecting early lung cancer.

The recommended starting age for lung cancer screening is 45 years old.

Focus:

People with a history of inhaling secondhand smoke or environmental fumes, smoking ≥ 20 pack-years, long-term exposure to occupational carcinogens such as radon, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, cadmium, and asbestos, and a family history of lung cancer in immediate family members.

2. Breast cancer: Mammography, breast ultrasound

In my country, breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women. The starting age for breast cancer imaging screening for the general risk population is 40 years old. For high-risk women, imaging screening is required in advance according to their different cancer risks. It is recommended that healthy women carrying high-penetrance harmful mutation genes should start screening at the age of 25.

Focus:

People who carry breast cancer susceptibility genes or have any of the following conditions↓

Family history of breast cancer in direct relatives (parents, children, brothers, and sisters); women with a history of breast cancer; history of chest radiotherapy (cumulative radiotherapy dose ≥10 Gy before the age of 30); women diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), or atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH) before the age of 40.

3. Liver cancer: Color Doppler ultrasound of the liver, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test

Focus:

Patients with cirrhosis due to various causes (including alcoholic liver disease and metabolic-related fatty liver disease); patients with chronic HBV or (and) HCV infection and aged ≥ 40 years.

4. Gastric cancer: gastroscopy

Focus:

People aged 45 and above who meet any of the following conditions are at high risk of gastric cancer↓

Long-term residence in areas with a high incidence of gastric cancer; Hp infection; previous suffering from precancerous diseases such as chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric polyps, residual stomach after surgery, hypertrophic gastritis, pernicious anemia, etc.; first-degree relatives with a history of gastric cancer; the presence of other high-risk factors for gastric cancer, such as high-salt, pickled diet, smoking, heavy drinking, etc.

The recommended starting age for gastric cancer screening in high-risk populations is 45 years old, and screening should be terminated when the age is 75 years or the life expectancy is less than 5 years.

5. Cervical cancer: cervical cytology test, HPV test

Regularly conduct cervical cancer screening for all women of appropriate age: my country recommends that the starting age for screening is 25-30 years old.

Focus:

Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, such as HPV16 and 18; exogenous behavioral risk factors, including young age of first sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners or sexual partners with multiple sexual partners, poor sexual hygiene, early marriage and early childbearing, multiple pregnancies and births, poor menstrual/postpartum hygiene, smoking, autoimmune diseases or long-term immunosuppression, poor nutritional status, etc.

6. Colorectal cancer: colonoscopy, fecal occult blood test

Focus:

The first-degree relative has a history of colorectal cancer (including family history of non-hereditary colorectal cancer and family history of hereditary colorectal cancer); the individual has a history of colorectal cancer and a history of intestinal adenoma; the individual suffers from long-term inflammatory bowel disease for 8 to 10 years; the individual has a positive fecal occult blood test.

In addition, excessive intake of red meat and processed meat, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and heavy drinking are all risk factors for colorectal cancer.

It is recommended to undergo colorectal cancer risk assessment starting at the age of 40. Patients with high risk factors for colorectal cancer should begin regular colonoscopy examinations at the age of 40. For people assessed as medium- or low-risk, they can start colorectal cancer screening from the age of 45-50.

If there are warning symptoms such as abdominal pain, blood in the stool, mucus in the stool, frequent bowel movements, and thinning of the stool, a colonoscopy should be performed as soon as possible.

7. Prostate cancer: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) project

Focus:

Men with a life expectancy of more than 10 years who meet one of the following conditions: age ≥ 60 years; age ≥ 45 years with a family history of prostate cancer; carrier of the BRCA2 gene mutation and age ≥ 40 years.

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04

Advanced cancer = death?

When patients are diagnosed with advanced cancer, they are usually in great pain. Some say, "It's incurable anyway, so I'll just use the money to travel." In fact, with the rapid development of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in recent years, advanced cancers are not hopeless.

Some advanced cancers can be cured, so don’t give up treatment as soon as you hear that it is in the advanced stage!

Although some cancers cannot be cured in the late stages, if patients adjust their mindset, learn to coexist with cancer, and actively accept comprehensive treatment, then some cancers may gradually become chronic diseases.

Author: Hu Zhongdong, deputy chief physician, registered dietitian, health manager, speaker of Healthy China Action

Reviewer: Li Peng, Director of General Medicine Department, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Chief Physician

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

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