Cancer Detection and Prevention

Screening is defined as the application of tests or examinations to apparently well persons in order to sort out those who probably have a disease from those who probably do not (4:1776). It involves the application of tests or procedures to people who are apparently in good health. Once screening has determined which people are at greater risk for a given disease, then a diagnostic workup can determine whether or not they actually have it.

A number of criteria need to be met before any particular disease merits routine screening of large numbers of asymptomatic individuals (5:589). For one, the disorder should be serious. Its occurrence should have major health consequences for the population as a whole.

In addition, the disease should also have a preclinical early stage which can be clearly recognized. In general, the longer that this preclinical phase persists in a particular disease, the greater will be the opportunity for the condition's detection (3:413).

Lastly, the third qualification for screening is that the recognition of this preclinical early stage should also result in a reduction of the d

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urged to undergo a mammogram every 1 to 2 years starting at age 40. In addition, after age 50, annual mammograms were suggested. More recently, that advise has changed. Routine mammograms are no longer recommended for women at age 40. This different approach to breast cancer screening has resulted, less from new scientific knowledge, than from the more practical desire to cut health care costs (2:1781). However, mammograms are still suggested for older womenespecially those who have a personal history of breast cancer. The guidelines also encourage sexually active women (and women who have reached 18 years of age), to get an annual Pap test and pelvic examination (6:1112). These two procedures generally result in the earlier detection of cervical uterine cancer. This disease has a long preclinical phase of from 5 to 10 years (4:1779). It therefore provides ample opportunity for early detection. After three or more consecutive satisfactory examinations of a particular patient, the physician may thus decide that the tests need not be performed every single year. Yet another cancer of the female reproductive system, ovarian cancer, can also be detected by pelvic examination (5:589). This one particular disease, howe
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Some common words found in the essay are:
NCI Guidelines, Cancer Society, Detection Prevention, Cancer Institute's, Cancer Institute, Hulka Cancer, Nursing National, Dodd Screening, cancer screening, nci guidelines, Tsodikov Yakovlev, particular disease, Feinleib Zelen, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, american cancer society, age 40, national cancer, data set, sputum cytology, cancer society, 612 addition recommended, data set include, minimum data set, periodic health examinations,
Approximate Word count = 1807
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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