Why you should talk to your doctor about early cancer testing

Cancer. Most of us know someone affected by it. Early cancer screenings are saving lives more than ever. But there is even more testing that can be done to detect it sooner. It is genetic testing.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in three men and one in three women are at risk of developing cancer. When talking about genetic testing, it all comes down to family history. If multiple family members have had some form of cancer, chances are you might want to try genetic testing. Regardless of family history, cancer screenings are saving lives.

“I was kind of shocked because most of the time people who get it are older. I didn’t think it would be me,” said Tiffany Bodily, a cancer survivor.

Bodily began having symptoms of colon cancer when she was in her 40s, but she ignored them because she was taking care of her sister, who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. After her sister died, Bodily finally got a colonoscopy. At age 49, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Most people don’t even get tested until age 50. Many people avoid these tests because of negative stigmas surrounding them. Doctors say getting it done can save your life.

“The tests have adequate sensitivity to find something and cure it before it becomes a problem,” said Dr. Brodi Smith, a general surgeon. “And that’s the key there. People are afraid of the tests because they’re afraid either, number one, it’s going to hurt, or number two, they’re going to find something scary like a cancer. But the reality is that we do everything in our power to make them as painless as possible.”

The most common early cancer screening tests are mammograms, colonoscopies, pap smears and prostate exams. Typically, mammograms are done starting at age 40, pap smears at age 21 and colonoscopies and prostate exams begin at about 50 years old. Doctors have seen high improvements and success rates thanks to these exams.

“I’m seeing more patients who are curable,” said Dr. Brad Adams, oncologist and hematologist at the Teton Cancer Institute. “The earlier it’s caught the more success we have with curing it. And that’s why it’s so important to do these screening tests even though some are not that pleasant. It can make a huge difference.”

Another form of screening is genetic testing. It consists of getting blood work done and then the results will tell if you have a cancerous gene. For example, if you have a family history of breast cancer, the testing can tell you if you carry the BRCA gene, or the breast cancer gene.

“It can literally save lives,” Adams said. “It can save family members’ lives because it would change the way that people are screened for cancer.”

Most genetic testing is done on patients, like Bodily, who have a strong family history of cancer. She got the testing done after she finished chemo in December to see if anyone else in her family could be at risk for cancerous genes.

“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in 2013. And then my sister was diagnosed in 2015 with stage 4 lung cancer. And then I was diagnosed in 2018 before I was 50,” Bodily said. “And so they felt that it was important for me to do the genetic testing so we can see if I have the gene that they’re concerned about. And also, so if I do have it, my children and my siblings can be tested.”

Adams says it is important to ask your family about their medical history, even if they don’t want to talk about it.

When a family member is diagnosed with cancer earlier than the average age, as Bodily was, those family members will then need to get tested 10 years of age earlier than the age at which the family member was diagnosed.

“It could save your life. It could also save your children’s life,” Bodily said. “They did explain to me that because I was diagnosed at 49 and I was so young that my children have to get tested at the age of 39. And so it’s 10 years prior to whenever you’re diagnosed. So don’t put it off because it could be the difference of you being here or not.”

Adams said if your family has a history of ovarian cancer, early testing should be done as soon as possible. Most insurance agencies cover cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, but you will need to check with your own insurance to make sure.

Genetic testing can be more expensive. If you think you are interested in getting it done, talk to your doctor about different options, including some that can be more affordable.

Also talk to your doctor if you have any questions about when to begin cancer screenings. Doctors say a 10-30-minute procedure can save your life.