What should we do to protect ourselves from the most common cancers in society or to catch them early?
Checkup programs for the most common cancers are mentioned here.
1- Lung cancer:A mother or father with lung cancer, Spiral tomography should be performed in people who smoke and have a cough.
2- Prostate cancer:It usually does not show symptoms in the early stages. For this reason, it is necessary to check the prostate specific antigen, which we call PSA, in the blood of men over the age of 50 once a year. This is a tumor marker and is increased in patients with prostate cancer.
3- Breast cancer:It is not possible to diagnose small masses by physical examination. For this reason, women should have a mammogram once a year starting from the age of 40. Breast ultrasonography and breast MRI can be added when necessary.
4- Skin cancers:They are usually noticed because they are on the surface. However, since there are sometimes parts of the skin that we cannot reach with our own eyes, a skin examination should be performed once a year. Here, places where lesions can hide, such as the scalp, are also checked. In addition, changes in moles and other skin lesions that we cannot notice can be detected by a dermatologist.
5- Stomach cancer:Some stomach disorders that are dismissed as gastritis may be a sign of cancer. These people should undergo an upper endoscopic examination called gastroscopy. In this way, the reason for the complaints is understood. A biopsy is performed to decide whether there is cancer.
6- Bladder cancer:In cases where the disease is suspected, such as bloody urine, the bladder is examined through an examination called cystoscopy and a biopsy is taken if necessary.
7- Colon cancer:Polyps in the large intestine can turn into cancer over time and they do not cause any symptoms. Therefore, everyone over the age of 50 should undergo periodic colonoscopy. If polyps are found, they are removed during endoscopy and the treatment is completed. Nowadays, performing this examination has become much easier. Since the patient is anesthetized during the examination, he does not feel any pain or ache. If a polyp that can turn into cancer is found, the colonoscopy must be repeated after a year. with a normal person It is necessary to repeat the examination every 3 to 10 years. In addition, occult blood in the stool should be checked once a year. In people with blood in their stool, the intestines should be examined with colonoscopy, as they may have colon cancer.
8- Thyroid cancer:In case of suspicion, manual neck examination and thyroid ultrasonography should be performed. A biopsy should be taken from suspicious nodules.
9- Uterine cancer:About 20% of uterine cancers do not cause symptoms. A test called 'pap smear' can be performed on these. In this test, a swab is taken from the cervix. In fact, the 'pap smear' test is a very important test in detecting cervical cancer before it occurs. It should be done once a year after sexual life begins. However, its effectiveness in detecting cancers in the body of the uterus is low. In cases where uterine cancer is suspected, in addition to 'pap smear', a tomography or MRI of the abdominal area may be performed.
10- Female ovarian cancer:In suspected cases Information about the disease can be obtained by looking at the antigen called CA-125 in the blood. It can be determined whether there is a mass in the ovaries through gynecological examination, ultrasonography and MRI.
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