Some common cancers are easier to treat and cure if they are found early. There are many different types of cancer, but most cancers begin when abnormal cells grow out of control and form a lump (called a tumor). The tumor can continue to grow until the cancer begins to spread to other parts of the body. If the tumor is found when it is still small and has not yet spread, curing the cancer can be easy. However, the longer the tumor goes unnoticed, the greater the chance that the cancer has spread. This usually makes treatment more difficult.

Talk to your doctor. He or she can help you understand your risk for cancer, especially if other members of your family have a history of cancer. Your doctor can also help you understand how your risk for cancer is affected by the following:

• Using or having used tobacco products, such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco
• Drinking alcohol
• Having eaten a diet high in fat for most of your life
• Being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer
• Being at risk for skin cancer

Depending on your age and your risk factors, your doctor may begin screening you for certain types of cancer. Screening means looking for cancer before it causes symptoms. Some doctors recommend that people who are at high risk or have a family history of cancer be screened regularly. The recommendations vary for different cancers.

To help find breast cancer early, your doctor will probably perform a clinical breast exam (where he or she checks your breasts for lumps) once every 3 years until you're 40 years old. All women age 40 and older should have a mammogram (an X-ray of your breasts) every 1-2 years with or without a clinical breast exam. If you are at high risk for breast cancer, such as a history of breast cancer in your family, your doctor may want you to have mammograms more often or start having them sooner.

To help find cervical cancer early, have Pap smears at least every three years. During a Pap smear, your doctor takes a sample of cells from your cervix to be tested. Your doctor may also collect cells from your cervix during a Pap test to be tested for the human papilloma virus, or HPV. There are 13 types of HPV that have been linked to cervical cancer, and this test can detect abnormal cells before cancer forms.

You should have your first Pap smear when you start having sex or by age 18. You should have a Pap smear at least once every 3 years, unless your doctor suggests that you need one more often. Keep having Pap smears throughout your life, even after menopause.

Most colorectal cancers begin as a polyp (say “pahl-ip”). At first, a polyp is a small, harmless growth in the wall of the colon. However, as a polyp gets larger, it can develop into a cancer that grows and spreads. See your doctor if you have any of the following warning signs:

• Bleeding from your rectum
• Blood in your stool or in the toilet after you have a bowel movement
• A prolonged change in the consistency of your stool (such as diarrhea) or constipation last several weeks
• Cramping or pain in your lower stomach
• A feeling of discomfort or an urge to have a bowel movement when there is no need to have one
• Unintended weight loss

Tests used to screen for colorectal cancer include the following:

• Fecal occult blood test, in which your stool is checked for blood that you can't see
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which a tiny camera is inserted into your colon, allowing your doctor to look at the rectum and the lower part of your colon
• Double contrast barium enema, for which you take an enema and have an x-ray to find abnormal spots
• Colonoscopy, which is similar to a flexible sigmoidoscopy, except the entire colon is examined

Colorectal cancer is more common in older people, so doctors usually begin screening people at age of 50. Some people have risk factors that make them more likely to get colorectal cancer at a young age. Screening should begin earlier in these people.

Talk to your family doctor to decide which screening tests you should have and how often you should be screened.