Top 5 Cancers (years 2001-2005)
These cancers occur most commonly among 45-64 year olds.
|Males ||Females |
|Age and Sex||Screening Recommendation||Screening Locations and Other Information|
All women within this age group
|For breast cancer: Monthly breast self-exam, annual clinical breast exam, and annual mammogram||List of mammography facilities in Massachusetts |
Sites for low income, uninsured women:
|All women within this age group||For cervical cancer: Pelvic exam and pap test every 1 - 3 years depending on your level of risk (every 3 years only after you have had 3 consecutive negative results).||Sites for low income, uninsured women:|
|Men age 40 and older of African American heritage or with a family history of prostate cancer|
Men age 50 and older
|For prostate cancer: Annual digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test after discussion of risks and benefits of available screening tests.|
|All men within this age group||For testicular cancer: Monthly testicular self-exam and a clinical exam every 1 to 3 years.|
|Women and men age 50 and older||For colorectal cancer: Home fecal occult blood test every year or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or home fecal occult blood test every year and flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years or colonoscopy every 10 years or double-contrast barium enema every 5 years. Each of the screening strategies has advantages and disadvantages. Discuss the options with your health care professional.|
|All women and men within this age group||For skin cancer: Periodic skin exams at your health care professional's discretion.|
- Don't smoke. If you do smoke, quit.
- Eat a healthy diet. Choose 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Limit high fat foods, including red meat, and limit alcohol to 1 to 2 drinks per day.
- Get 30 minutes of physical activity on 5 or more days of the week.
- Use sun protection methods, such as protective clothing and sunscreen (SPF 15 or greater) and limit sun exposure during the hours of 10 am and 4 pm.
- Minimize exposures to cancer-causing agents in your neighborhood and in your workplace.
- Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: Cancer Fact Sheet
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Prevention
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC Activities to Promote Skin Cancer Prevention and Education
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: TIPS (Tobacco Information and Prevention Source)
- Massachusetts Commission on End of Life Care
- National Cancer Institute: Cancer topics
- Produce for Better Health Foundation