Screening finds cancer before it causes symptoms, which is when it is most treatable. The main ones for adults are breast, colorectal, cervical, lung, and — as a shared decision — prostate. In Arizona, add skin. Most people are behind on at least one, usually colorectal.
Below is a practical starting point. Your own schedule depends on your family history, personal history, and risk factors, and screening guidance genuinely does shift — so treat this as the agenda for a conversation with us, not the final word.
The starting point
| Screening | Typically starts | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast (mammogram) | 40 | Every 1–2 years to about 74 | Earlier and possibly with MRI if strong family history or a known gene variant |
| Colorectal | 45 | Colonoscopy every 10 years, or a stool test annually / every 3 years | Earlier if family history or inflammatory bowel disease |
| Cervical | 21 | Pap every 3 years, or HPV testing every 5 years, to 65 | Options vary; HPV-based testing is increasingly preferred |
| Lung (low-dose CT) | 50 | Annually | Only if a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit within 15 years |
| Prostate (PSA) | 55 (discussion) | Individualised | A shared decision, not automatic. Start the conversation at 45 for Black men or with a family history |
| Skin | Any age here | Annual professional check; monthly self-check | Arizona’s UV levels make this more than routine |
| Abdominal aortic aneurysm | 65 | One-time ultrasound | Men who have ever smoked |
| Hepatitis C | 18 | At least once | All adults, once |
Why colorectal screening is the one to fix
It is the screening people avoid most and the one with the clearest payoff: colonoscopy can remove precancerous polyps during the test, so it does not merely detect cancer, it prevents it. Very few screening tests can say that.
Colorectal cancer is also rising in younger adults, which is why the starting age moved from 50 down to 45. If the prospect of a colonoscopy is what is stopping you, know that stool-based tests are a legitimate alternative — an annual FIT test or a stool DNA test every three years, done at home. A positive result means you then need a colonoscopy, but a negative one is a real screen. A test you will actually do beats a better test you keep postponing.
Breast screening, honestly
Guidance has moved: routine mammography is now generally recommended from 40 rather than 50, with intervals of one or two years depending on which body you follow and your own risk.
Worth knowing: dense breast tissue reduces mammogram sensitivity, and you are entitled to be told your breast density. If you have dense tissue, a strong family history, or a known BRCA or similar variant, additional imaging may be appropriate. And breast self-awareness — knowing what is normal for you and reporting change — still matters between screens: a new lump, skin dimpling, nipple change or discharge, or persistent one-sided pain all warrant an appointment rather than a wait.
Men get breast cancer too, rarely. A lump is a lump.
Prostate screening as a decision, not a default
PSA testing is genuinely a judgement call, and that is not evasion. It reduces prostate cancer deaths modestly, but it also detects slow-growing cancers that would never have caused harm, leading to biopsies and treatment with real side effects. The current consensus is shared decision-making — we explain the trade-off, and you decide.
Start that conversation earlier, around 45, if you are Black or have a father or brother with prostate cancer, because risk is meaningfully higher.
Symptoms worth reporting regardless of screening: a weak or interrupted stream, urinating much more at night, difficulty starting, blood in urine or semen, or new pelvic or back pain.
About sarcoma and the rarer cancers
Not everything is screenable, and sarcoma is a good example — a rare cancer of bone and soft tissue with no population screening test. What matters instead is not dismissing the signs:
- A lump that is growing, especially if it is larger than a golf ball, deep, firm, or painless
- Bone pain that is worse at night or not related to activity
- A limb swelling without injury
- Unexplained fractures
These are usually something benign. But “usually benign” is a conclusion for a clinician to reach after looking, not a reason to wait six months. The same applies to any unexplained weight loss, persistent fatigue, a cough or hoarseness lasting more than three weeks, difficulty swallowing, changed bowel or bladder habits, or bleeding that has no obvious cause.
Reducing risk, not just detecting
Screening catches what prevention missed. The prevention list is short and well-evidenced: do not smoke, keep alcohol low, stay physically active, maintain a reasonable weight, eat mostly plants, protect your skin from the sun, and get the HPV vaccine — which prevents the infections that cause nearly all cervical cancer and a significant share of throat and anal cancers. It is routine at 11–12, catch-up through 26, and worth discussing up to 45.
Where to go
Book our Medical Clinic to work out which screenings you are due, order the tests, and arrange referrals for colonoscopy or mammography. Bring your family history — who had what cancer, and at what age. That single piece of information changes recommendations more than almost anything else. Call (602) 671-7981.
Come to our Emergency Room for heavy bleeding, severe pain, or acute symptoms that cannot wait — open 24 hours at 9700 N. Saguaro Blvd: (602) 671-7990.
Related: sun safety and skin cancer checks · your annual health checklist
Sources
- US Preventive Services Task Force — A–Z recommendations
- American Cancer Society — Screening guidelines by age
- CDC — Cancer screening tests
- National Cancer Institute — Cancer screening overview