At what age should you get a breast cancer screening?

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers found in Indian women. Every 1 in 8 women have breast cancer and the statistics are rising every day. Hence, it is recommended for women to carry breast cancer screening regularly. Breast cancer can be cured if detected at an early phase. Early symptoms of breast cancer are lumps in the breast which can be detected by home examination too.

At what age women should start regular blood test for cancer screening:

• Women ages between 40 to 44 should start going for annual breast cancer checkup such as mammograms, x-rays of the breast etc.
• Women aged over 54 should go for a cancer screening test every year.
• Women aged over 55 or older should go for breast cancer screening every 2 years or may continue yearly screening.
• Yearly screening needs to be continued as long as a woman is healthy and is have more than 10 more years of life expectancy or longer.
• Every woman should be familiar with the benefits, limitations, and potential risks linked to taking regular breast cancer screening.

The basic thing is awareness and every woman must know how their breasts look and feel when healthy. They should know when it’s time to report any breast cancer changes and o to doctor right away. Women who have a family history or genetic tendency, or certain other risk factors are more likely to get breast cancer and hence they should be screened yearly.

HMZ Laboratories are coming with Pantum Detect Blood test which can detect cancer at a very early stage. It’s a simple blood test for cancer that can detect up to 50 types of solid tumours in their initial stage.