Prevention & Screening

When it comes to your health, knowledge is power. In order to understand your risk of developing cancer, it’s important to evaluate your risk factors and to make plans to manage any potential risks. Overlake offers genetic counseling consultations and cancer screening tests.

Genetic Counseling

Genetic counseling and testing provides more than a plan. It can provide peace of mind for you and your family.

The Overlake Cancer Center offers screenings to determine if you may benefit from genetic counseling and, if necessary, testing to manage risk for hereditary cancer.

Genetic testing looks for inherited changes in a person’s genes. Harmful changes (mutations) in some genes are associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. Individuals with a hereditary risk for cancer can participate in increased screening to catch cancer at an earlier stage. In some cases, cancer risk can be reduced with lifestyle changes, medication or surgery.

A genetic counselor has specialized training in genetics, as well as counseling. At your appointment, your genetic counselor will assess your family history, discuss inheritance risks, and determine if genetic testing is right for you and your family. If it is, we’ll collect a sample (blood or saliva) and send it to a lab. We’ll also discuss your medical, psychological, financial and privacy concerns with care and compassion. Most insurance companies cover genetic testing services for hereditary cancer.

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Screening Guidelines

The following is a list of screening guidelines for some common cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, certain screening tests may be recommended only for those who have a high risk for certain cancers. Always discuss with your healthcare provider which screenings are right for you.

Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Women between the ages of 25 and 40 should have an annual clinical breast examination.
Women 40 and older should have an annual mammogram in addition to an annual clinic breast examination.
All women should consider performing a monthly breast self-examination.
High risk includes family history, history of atypical hyperplasia, history of mantle radiation, and genetic predisposition.
Annual mammograms starting no later than 10 years before the age of the earliest diagnosis in the family but not earlier than age 25 and not later than age 40.
Consider supplemental imaging for women with dense breast tissue.
Consider alternating between a breast MRI and a mammogram every six months.

Cervical Cancer Screening Guideline

Cervical cancer screening recommendations in average-risk patients is generally based on the patient's age.
No screening for cervical cancer. Complete HPV vaccine series if not already received.
Pap tests are recommended every three years if tests are normal. Patients should be screened even if they report sexual abstinence.
The decision to discontinue screening in average-risk patients depends on the patient's prior results, life expectancy, and preferences in a shared decision-making discussion.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines

For the general population, individuals should have their initial colonoscopy screening at age 45.
Individuals who have a family history of colon cancer in a first-degree relative should begin colonoscopy screening at age 40 OR 10 years prior to the age the family member was diagnosed, whichever is earlier.
If you are not sure about when you should begin screening colonoscopy, talk to your doctor, especially if you have a strong family history of multiple cancers or cancer at a young age.

Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advises that people who smoke be screened every year with low-dose CT (LDCT). Or they should talk with their provider about yearly screening if they meet all of the following criteria:

Are age 50 to 80. (Check with your insurance plan, because some plans have age limits); and
Are current smokers or have quit in the last 15 years; and
Have a 20 pack-year history of smoking (a pack-year is one pack of cigarettes per day per year).

The USPSTF says that screening can stop once a person has not smoked for 15 years or has a health problem that limits their life expectancy or their ability to have lung surgery.

If you have a history of smoking, talk with your healthcare provider about whether yearly lung cancer screening might be right for you.

Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines

National Comprehensive Cancer Network advises that men at average risk be screened for prostate cancer beginning at age 50, as needed.

Begin at 45 if you have a higher than average risk.
Begin at 40 if you have more than one close relative with prostate cancer before age 65.

Talk to your provider about the pros and cons of screening.

Skin Cancer Screening Guidelines

Skin cancer can be treated with more success if it’s found early. The way to find skin cancer early is with regular skin exams. This means having a healthcare provider check your skin and you should check your skin at home regularly.
First, check if any moles fit the ABCDE rules. These rules can help you tell if a mole should be checked by your healthcare provider. The ABCDE rules are:

A - Asymmetry. One half of the mole doesn't match the other half.
B - Border irregularity. The edges of the mole are not well-defined or are ragged or irregular.
C- Color. The mole has different colors in it. It may be tan, brown, black, red or other colors. Or it may have areas that seem to have lost color.
D - Diameter - The mole is bigger than 6 millimeters across, about the size of a pencil eraser. But some melanomas can be smaller.
E- Evolving - A mole looks different from the rest and changes in size, shape or color.

Also watch for these other signs:

A mole or skin mark that itches or is tender or painful.
A mole or skin mark that oozes, bleeds or becomes crusty.
A mole or skin mark that looks different from your other moles or skin marks.
A mole or sore that becomes red or swells at its edges or beyond.

If any moles or skin marks fit the ABCDEs or other signs of skin cancer, see your healthcare provider right away.