Screening for Other Cancers

EN  |  FR

The goal of cancer screening is to reduce the number of people who die from cancer.

Cancer screening tests are able to detect cancer or pre-cancer before symptoms appear.

CONDITION

  • The cancer is a health problem whose growth is known.
  • The cancer can be found before a person has symptoms

TREATMENT

  • There needs to be a treatment that works well and gives the person a better result.

TEST

  • The test is easy to do, safe, reliable, and acceptable to the public.
  • The test can find the health problem before symptoms show.
  • The test overall reduces the number of people who die from the health problem.

PROGRAM COST

  • The cost of the test itself and all related processes needs to be reasonable.
  • The cost of having a screening program has to be balanced with other needs.
  • All eligible people should have equal access to the test.
Wilson JMG, Jungner G. Principles and practice of screening for disease. Public Health Paper Number 34. Geneva: WHO, 1968.

BreastCheck
Most women age 50-74 should have a screening mammogram every 2 years. Trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people may also need regular mammograms. Call 1-855-952-4325 to make an appointment.

CervixCheck  
Most women age 21 to 69 who have ever had sexual contact should have a Pap test every 3 years. Trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people with a cervix should have a Pap test every 3 years. Call your healthcare provider for an appointment or click here to find a Pap test clinic near you.

ColonCheck
Most people age 50-74 should do a FIT test every 2 years. Click here to request a kit.

Should you Get Screened?

If you would like help to make an informed decision about having a cancer screening test:

  1. contact your healthcare provider,
  2. visit our websites for:
    1. information about BreastCheck,
    2. information about CervixCheck,
    3. information about ColonCheck, or
  3. contact a CancerCare Manitoba Screening Program Health Educator at [email protected] or 1-855-952-4325.

Every medical test has potential harms (bad things) and potential benefits (good things) that can occur. Potential benefits and potential harms are events that happened to enough people to make them important to know for informed decision-making.

Let's break it down...

Harm = a physical hurt or injury

Benefit = a gain or advantage

Potential = something that may or may not occur

Risk factor = anything that increases your chance of getting cancer

The potential benefits of cancer screening can include:

  • cancer prevention (finding pre-cancer before it causes harm)
  • early diagnosis (find cancer earlier when it is easier to treat)
  • more treatment options
  • better outcomes (less illness and death due to the disease)

The potential harms of cancer screening include:

  • false positive test result (a normal test result that is comes back as abnormal)
  • false negative test result (an abnormal test result that comes back as normal)
  • overdiagnosis (finding and treating cancer that would not have caused death)

Evidence clearly demonstrates that the potential benefits of screening for breast, cervix, and colon cancer outweigh the potential harms for the eligible population.

If you have concerns about your cancer risk, speak to your healthcare provider. There is not enough evidence that screening people at average risk for other cancers is effective. There is, however, there is enough evidence to support the recommendation to screen high risk individuals for lung cancer.

Lung cancer risk factors include:

  • smoking tobacco
  • second-hand tobacco smoke
  • radon exposure
  • asbestos exposure
  • history of certain lung conditions (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis)

 To reduce your risk of lung cancer:

  • be a non-smoker
  • avoid  being around people who are smoking (second-hand smoke)
  • limit exposure to known cancer-causing chemicals like asbestos
  • test your home for radon (external link)
Taken from Canadian Cancer Society, March 2018.

Screening Recommendation

An annual low dose computed tomography (LDCT) for three years is recommended for males and females age 55-74 who:

  • have at least a 30 pack-year* smoking history, and
  • currently smoke or quit less than 15 years ago, or
  • are at high risk according to personal history and lifestyle factors, 

Talk to your healthcare provider about your level of risk for lung cancer.

*To calculate a person's pack year history (number of packs smoked daily) x (number of years smoked).

Ovarian cancer risk factors include:

  • being caucasian
  • being age 50 to 79
  • being perimenopausal or postmenopausal
  • having a BRCA1, BRCA2 or HNPCC gene mutation
  • having never been pregnant
  • a family history of ovarian or breast cancer
  • a personal history of breast, endometrial or colorectal cancer
Taken from Ovarian Cancer Canada on September 24, 2024.

Things that reduce your risk of ovarian cancer:

  • birth control pill use
  • history of pregnancy
  • history of breastfeeding
Taken from Ovarian Cancer Canada on September 24, 2024.

Screening Recommendation

There is currently not enough evidence for a reliable screening test that reduces the number of cancers and/or deaths from ovarian cancer. To learn more about ovarian cancer screening visit:

Prostate cancer risk factors include:

  • being male
  • being over age 50
  • being overweight
  • being tall
  • of African or Caribbean ancestry
  • having a brother or father with prostate cancer
  • being BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene positive
  • being diagnosed with Lynch syndrome (or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer)
    Taken from the Canadian Cancer Society website on September 24, 2024.

To reduce your risk of prostate cancer:

  • be physically active
  • maintain a healthy weight
  • eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, and whole grains
  • avoid red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods
Taken from the American Cancer Society website on September 24, 2024.

Recommendation

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care does not recommend screening for prostate cancer with the PSA, as the harms of screening outweigh the benefits for men at average risk. The decision to screen for prostate cancer in males should involve a conversation between the client and their primary care provider.