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Deciding Whether to Get Screened For Cancer?

Here's what you need to know:

1. The pattern of cancer in your family.
Collect a written record of the kinds of cancers and ages at diagnosis in your first- and second-degree relatives for three generations, says epidemiologist Robert A. Smith of the American Cancer Society. That means keeping information on your children, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and half-siblings.

2. The evidence.
Ask your doctor: “How could this test help me? How could this test hurt me? Is there a randomized trial that says this test will lower my chance of dying? And if not, why do you believe that it will?” says Lisa Schwartz, a cancer screening expert at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt.

3. Not everyone will benefit equally from the same tests.
For example, some breast cancer screening guidelines suggest that high-risk young women should have an MRI in addition to mammography. However, there is no evidence that all young women would benefit from routine MRI screening.

4. Cancer survivors are at greater risk for other cancers.
So keep talking with your doctor, even long after your diagnosis has passed. Cancer survivors should follow through with the regular exams that they and their doctors agree upon.

5. That your family understands your diagnosis.
Make sure relatives know the details, Smith says, including your type of cancer and age at diagnosis. A family history of cancer may influence the screening decisions made by your loved ones.

6. Screening is a personal decision.
“It’s important for people to choose for themselves,” says Schwartz. “Some people might look at the benefits and say that it’s worth it, while other people would say it’s not worth the harm.”

—Regina Nuzzo