Cancer happens when cells in your body that are not normal grow and divide. These cells continue to grow and join together to make a larger clump called a tumor (too-mer), which can grow and damage the normal cells around it. It can also spread to other parts of the body. Cancer is best treated if caught early.
Cancer screening tests check if there's a very small amount of cancer in your body, so it's best to do them on a regular basis while you're feeling normal. In Ontario, there are screening tests for three types of cancer: colorectal cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer.
Is your cancer screening up to date?
Routine Mammogram for Breast Cancer Screening
Getting screened regularly with mammography is important because it can find cancer early when it is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body. Treatment may also have a better chance of working when breast cancer is found early.
Most women between the ages of 50-74 are recommended to have a mammogram every 2 years. Some women (those with dense breasts or a strong family history of breast cancer) may be advised to have annual mammograms.
To book your mammogram, you can call 1-800-668-9304 or choose a location near you from this website:
https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/find-cancer-services/breast-screening-locations
Pap Test for Cervical Cancer Screening
A Pap test can detect cell changes in the cervix that may lead to cancer before people feel any symptoms. It is important that these cell changes are found and, if necessary, treated before they can cause cervical cancer.
Currently, the Ontario Cervical Screening Program recommends that anyone with a cervix (women, transmasculine and non-binary people) who is or ever has been sexually active have a Pap test every 3 years starting at age 25. If you are under 25, talk to your family doctor or nurse practitioner about whether you should wait until age 25 before starting cervical screening with the Pap test.
You can stop regular screening with Pap tests at the age of 70 if you have had 3 or more normal tests in the previous 10 years.
Eligible people need to get cervical screening even if they:
- feel healthy and have no symptoms
- are no longer sexually active
- have only had 1 sexual partner
- are in a same-sex relationship
- have been through menopause
- have no family history of cervical cancer
- have received the HPV vaccine
People who have had a hysterectomy should talk to their doctor or nurse practitioner to see if they need to continue cervical screening.
If you are due for a pap test, you can book an appointment with our Health Promoter (RN). Please note: Pap test appointments can be booked with either your physician or one of our Registered Nurses, whichever you prefer.
FIT Stool Test for Colon Cancer Screening
With early detection, 9 out of 10 people with colon cancer can be cured. In later stages, treatment may not be as effective. This is why FIT screening is so important. Better still, the testing is painless and quick.
A FIT stool test should be performed every 2 years in people ages 50 to 74 who are average risk for colorectal cancer.
If you have a family history of colon cancer or polyps or you've experienced rectal bleeding, FIT screening may not be the right screening choice for you.
Please note: It takes 3-4 weeks to receive the kit in the mail and it needs to be completed and returned within 5 months.