Cancer Screening

What is cancer?

Cancer is the development of abnormal cells that can divide, spread to other parts of your body, and destroy normal body tissues. Catching cancer in its early stage drastically improves your chance of surviving cancer. Common cancers in women include:

• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Colon cancer
• Skin cancer

During a routine physical examination, your provider looks for signs of these and other cancers and recommends screening tests for early detection.

What are the symptoms of cancer?

If you have cancer you might not experience symptoms at all. If you do, you may notice:

• Weight changes
• Fatigue
• Skin changes
• Lumps under the skin
• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
• Muscle or joint pain
• Changes in menstrual bleeding
• Vaginal bleeding after menopause
• Bleeding after intercourse or between periods
• Pelvic pain
• Watery, blood-tinged vaginal discharge

Your doctor screens for breast, cervical, and other cancers specific to women using various tests.

What is a cancer screening?

Dr. Usuga offers the following cancer screening tests at Dr. DeLeon's Woman's Health Care:

Cervical cancer

During a pelvic exam and pap test, your doctor scrapes a sample of cells from your cervix and sends it to a lab to screen for signs of cervical cancer. When caught early, cervical cancer is highly treatable using minimally invasive procedures.

Breast cancer

Your provider checks your breasts for lumps and may recommend a mammogram, depending on your age or symptoms.

Colon cancer

Some colon cancer tests check for polyps, or small growths in the lining of your colon or rectum. Your doctor screens for colon cancer using stool tests or a colonoscopy, CT colonography, or flexible sigmoidoscopy, and removes pre-cancerous polyps during minimally invasive procedures.

Ovarian cancer

There isn’t a good way to screen for early signs of ovarian cancer, but some tests (such as transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests) might be useful if you’re at risk or exhibit symptoms. Talk with your provider if you experience abdominal swelling, digestive problems, pelvic pain, increased urges to urinate, or have a family history of ovarian cancer.

Endometrial cancer

If you’re at risk of or exhibit signs of endometrial cancer, such as abnormal bleeding, watery discharge, or pelvic pain, your provider might screen for it with a pelvic exam, ultrasound, hysteroscopy, or endometrial biopsy to confirm or rule out endometrial cancer.

How often do I need cancer screenings?

Your physician lets you know how often you’ll need cancer screening tests based on your age, risk factors, and symptoms. Call to schedule a pelvic exam and cancer screening today.