One of the important components in the struggle for longevity and a happy life without disease and physical suffering is preventive medicine and early diagnosis of diseases. Unfortunately, in the world of paid medicine, when everyone is responsible for their own health (neither the state, nor employers, nor insurance companies, by and large, do not care about this), people do not want to spend their time and money on regular medical examinations and checkups. Partly due to the fact that they simply do not understand how to do it correctly. But the diagnosis of a serious illness at an early stage gives you more chances to be cured and save your life.
My parents regularly donated blood for various tests, including the so-called tumor markers, which, as they were explained in the laboratory, were supposed to detect diseases (cancer of the breast, ovaries, stomach and pancreas, colon, prostate) at an early stage … And just recently, the test results of my mother turned out to be very bad, and we had to go to an appointment with an oncologist.
Oddly enough it sounds, but I am very glad that this happened and that we were at the doctor’s appointment. He explained to us that a blood test for cancer is an absolutely useless exercise: only prostate cancer in men is diagnosed at an early stage using a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test.
Unfortunately, only a small number of cancers can be diagnosed in the early stages.
I will give a few simple diagnostic rules, and you can read more about them in English here.
– Breast cancer. From the age of 20, women should regularly independently examine their breasts (mammologists have instructions) and be sure to contact a specialist if any formations are found. Regardless of the results of self-examination, from the age of 20, women are recommended to visit a mammologist every three years, and after 40 years – every year.
– Colon cancer. From the age of 50, both men and women should undergo examinations (including colonoscopy) by specialists annually.
– Prostate cancer. After 50 years, men should consult a doctor about the need for a PSA blood test in order to live a long and healthy life.
– Cervical cancer. From the age of 18, women should be examined by a gynecologist and annually take a smear for oncology from the cervix and cervical canal.
Ideally, from the age of 20, consultations with specialists regarding potential cancers in the thyroid gland, testicles, ovaries, lymph nodes, oral cavity and skin should be part of the regular medical examination. Those who are at risk of smoking, working in hazardous enterprises or living in environmentally unfavorable areas should undergo additional examinations, for example, fluorography. But all this is prescribed by a doctor.