American Cancer Society Screening guidelines were just released.
Endometrial cancer. This is cancer of the lining of the uterus. No routine screening test should be performed. Women should have testing if they have symptoms: irregular or unexpected vaginal bleeding, especially after menopause (when they should have stopped menstrual bleeding–forever!).
Lung cancer. No screening tests are suggested. There are multiple organizations reviewing evidence to determine the potential benefits (and harms) of screening for lung cancer as low-dose CT scans contain radiation.
Ovarian cancer. There is insufficient evidence that the following have been shown to detect early ovarian cancer:
- pelvic examination,
- tumor marker CA-125,
- transvaginal ultrasound, or
- multimarker panels and bioinformatics analysis or proteomic patterns.
Screening guidelines help us benefit the patient population as a whole–decrease the poking and prodding–when screening may do more harm than good. Talk to your doctor about your concerns, family history, risk factors, and any symptoms you have. If you have symptoms, then it is not considered “screening” and a work-up may be warranted.
Dr. Leslie Greenberg's Blog 