What are screening and exams for women?
Pap Test
Usually physicians recommend that women have a Pap test (a cervical smear) annually beginning at age 18 or within six months of first sexual intercourse. A Pap test is done to check for abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix (the lower opening of the uterus). A Pap test can detect cervical cancer early, while it is still curable.
Breast Self-Exam (BSE)
Beginning in their 20’s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of BSE, and that it is acceptable for women to choose not to do BSE or to do it occasionally. BSEs are to focus on general breast health as opposed to cancer detection. Women who choose to do BSE should receive instruction and have their technique reviewed on the occasion of a periodic health examination by a provider.
Clinical Breast Exam
A clinical breast examination (CBE) is an examination of your breasts by a health care professional, such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse, or doctor’s assistant. For this examination, you undress from the waist up. The health care professional will first look at your breasts for changes in size or shape. Then, using the pads of the fingers, the examiner will gently feel (palpate) your breasts.
Women aged 20 – 39 should have a clinical breast exam every 3 years by their health care provider and annually for women aged 40 and older.
Mammogram
A mammogram is a procedure in which very low-dose x-rays are passed through the breast to detect signs of breast cancer. Unfortunately, the technique is not very accurate for women less than 35 - 40 years old.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer for women (after lung cancer). Women should follow these guidelines of the American Cancer Society:
- Women aged 40 and older should have a mammogram and clinical breast exam every year
- Women whose mother or sister had breast cancer should talk to their providers, who will instruct them in careful surveillance.
Sources: American Cancer Society Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening: Update 2003; CA Cancer J Clin 2003; 53:141-169