Effective Cancer Screening Methods Essay -- Health, Screening, Early

Effective cancer screening methods are used to detect or identify the presence of a specific cancer before the individual displays any symptoms of cancer. Early detection of a cancer through screening can save the life of a person who may have died without screening detection. Early detection of cancer can also provide a less costly and more effective treatment than if the cancer progresses requiring more advanced or drastic treatment. Screenings tests for the more common cancers such as breast, colon, prostate or cervical can be non-invasive or only slightly invasive. The majority of screening procedures are non-invasive which is more cost effective, patient convenient, and does not require any patient aftercare. Screening tests usually have a recommended age and frequency. As people age there is a higher risk of cancer and more screening is recommended. There are some considerations on whether to screen or not to screen such as; is the cancer common or fatal, are there detectable symptoms, and how reliable are the test results (Bast, 2000). There are currently two slightly invasive screening tests used to detect prostate cancer. They are the digital rectal exam (DRE) and the prostate-specific antigen blood test (PSA). The DRE is a quick exam that can check the prostates health. A doctor inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum to feel the back portion of the prostate for size, irregularity or abnormal areas. DRE is the only method in which a physician can physically examine the prostate gland. If a doctor does find an irregularity the conclusion is not necessarily prostate cancer, but a reason to pursue diagnosis (Bast, 2000). â€Å"Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate g... ...te posts coated with antibodies that bind to tumor cells. When blood passes across the chip, cancer cells stick and stains make them glow for easy detection† (Prostate.net, n.d.). This blood test could possibly eliminate tissue sampling and imaging scans (Prostate.net, n.d.). EN2 is a new prostate cancer test measuring the EN2 protein in urine. â€Å"The study found that testing for the protein could accurately identify 66% of men with prostate cancer, and correctly rule out the disease in almost 90% of men without the disease† (National Health Service, 2011). The cases of prostate cancer were confirmed with a biopsy. The University of Surrey, UK studies confirmed that â€Å"even if the EN2 test performs well in larger scale testing, the test would not necessarily replace PSA testing† (National Health Service, 2011) but could be used with PSA (National Health Service, 2011)