Preventive Cancer Screenings
If you knew you could prevent cancer from happening, wouldn’t you do it?
Cancer screenings for men and women are a highly recommended type of preventive health care. Factors such as age, gender, pre-existing conditions, and family medical history are all considered when the time comes to decide if a cancer screening is required.
It’s your life. Save it.
Knowing how, why and when to take preventive health measures can save your life — especially when it comes to cancer.
Horizon Health Care services include cancer screenings to prevent the worst-case scenario. The sooner you know if you need treatment, the better your chances of finding a cure.
Colorectal Cancer Screenings
About 90% of new colorectal cancer cases were diagnosed for patients who are 50 or older.
Get checked out or ask your doctor about screenings if the following applies to you:
- If you’re between the ages of 50-75 — even if you consider yourself to be of good health
- If you have an increased risk due to a family history of colorectal cancer
- If you have Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or another inflammatory bowel disease
For adults 76-85, it’s recommended a doctor decides if colorectal cancer screenings should continue.
Cervical Cancer Screenings
Nearly 13,000 women in America are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. We welcome women to prevent cervical cancer by scheduling a screening. These two screenings can help to prevent cervical cancer from happening to you:
- Pap tests or pap smears detect cell changes on the cervix that could lead to cancer if not treated
- HPV testing for the human papillomavirus, causing cell changes
When should a cervical screening happen?
- Women ages 21-29 should receive a cervical cytology screening every three years
- Women ages 30-65 should receive a cervical cytology screening every three years and/or high-risk HPV testing every five years
Women older than 65 do not need to be screened if you have had several years of normal screening tests done, or if you had your cervix removed with a total hysterectomy.
Breast Cancer Screenings
More than 245,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer on a yearly basis in America.
Breast cancer symptoms vary for women. Women who have breast cancer could notice signs like a change in the shape or size of their breasts, unusual pain in the breast area, or a lump in the breast or underarm.
Get a breast cancer screening if you the following applies to you:
- If you’re between the ages of 50-74
- If there is a history of breast cancer in your family medical history
After a breast cancer screening, your doctor will determine if a mammogram is required.
Skin Cancer Screenings
In America, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and tends to be more common in men than in women.
Anyone can contract skin cancer. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin cancer cells known as melanoma, basal, and squamous to develop. Melanoma cells are the most dangerous and spread the easiest.
The following characteristics can increase the likelihood of skin cancer for you:
- Light skin color, eye color, or hair color
- Skin that easily burns or freckles
- A large amount of moles
- Family medical history of skin cancer
Skin cancer screenings start with a visual exam for skin peculiarities. Common signs of skin cancer can appear as a new growth, a wound that doesn’t heal, or an unusual change to a mole.
Start the Conversation on Preventive Cancer Screenings
Find a Horizon Health Care clinic location near you. Horizon provides preventive cancer screenings and serves the health care needs of South Dakotans throughout its 22 communities.
