Cancer Screenings:
Beating Your Fears for Good

Many people, it seems, avoid cancer screenings, even if they schedule yearly physical exams.

Nancy Boutin, M.D., medical director of the Salem Cancer Institute, isn’t surprised. She has heard a variety of reasons for not getting screenings. “Patients tell us they don’t have time, or don’t have insurance, or they feel fine, so why bother?”

Of course, no one likes inconvenience, but Dr. Boutin believes that there are deeper issues at play. “The excuses are just different sides of the same coin—disbelief that there could be anything wrong and fear that there might be.”

She stresses, however, that many cancers can be treated successfully, or at least kept in check, if caught early enough. And the screenings represent the best route to early detection.

“The longer the cancer is in the body, and the longer it remains untreated, the more likely it will move to another part of the body,” she says.

Steps to take
Exactly which screenings you should have depends on your age and risk factors. Adults should start with a physical exam and then ask their doctor which screenings they should have.

“Depending on the person’s age, gender and risk factors, the doctor may suggest a colonoscopy or a mammography or another screening if warranted,” says Dr. Boutin.

Here are a few tips to help people overcome their fears of screenings:

• Do as much research about cancer screenings as possible. Don’t just rely on the popular media; find reliable sources to verify information in the popular media. Quoting Emerson, Dr. Boutin says, “‘Education is the antidote to fear.’”
• Take a friend with you who has already been through a screening. “You don’t need to go alone,” Dr. Boutin says. “Take someone, a friend, anyone, to keep you company.”
• Don’t be afraid it will hurt. “Screenings may be inconvenient and time-consuming, but they are not painful,” she says. While there are lots of jokes and cartoons about the trauma of mammography, for most women the discomfort only lasts a few minutes as the technologist sets up the study.

Dr. Boutin also has a message for those who have already had cancer: “Survivors can help a great deal by encouraging their friends and family to get cancer screenings. Even if you encourage just one person, it’s a start.”