Get Screened: February Is National Cancer Prevention Month

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases in which abnormal cells divide without stopping and can invade other tissues. In fact, cancer is the second leading cause of death behind heart disease, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But here’s some good news: At least 42 percent of newly diagnosed cancers in the U.S. — about 750,000 in 2020 — are potentially preventable, a recent study by the American Cancer Society found. This statistic includes the 19 percent of all cancers caused by smoking and the 18 percent caused by a combination of excess body weight, alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.

Cancer prevention can involve education, screening (to find early-stage cancers before they have spread), vaccinations for certain cancers (such as human papillomavirus (HPV) that can lead to cervical cancer) and a healthy lifestyle and diet.

February marks National Cancer Prevention Month. We want to honor it by giving you the latest of what’s happening in cancer prevention at Doylestown Health.

Doylestown Health Events

Expert-led cancer prevention educational events are planned throughout the year. Currently, all events are virtual. Scheduled for 2021 thus far:

Lung Cancer Prevention Talk

Thursday March 25 – 6 pm

This free information session will be led by critical care pulmonologist, Pinak Acharya, MD .

Female Cancer Prevention Talk

Wednesday, May 5 – 6 pm

Donna Angotti, MD, director of oncology service line, and Mark Shahin, MD , a gynecologic oncologist, will lead this free information session.

Doylestown Health has the following free public cancer screening events slated for this year for those uninsured or underinsured:

• May 2021: Skin cancer screening involving full-body skin checks by dermatologists
• August 2021: Colon cancer screening, including a rectal exam and an at-home test
• October 2021: Breast cancer screening, including breast exams and mammograms

For more information on any of the free events above, call 267.885.1580.

When to Screen

When it comes to prevention and screening, it can get confusing with how often or at what age to start screening for which cancer. Medical societies often put forth conflicting recommendations. However, by working closely with your primary care provider, you can ensure you’re covered for any available screening.

Screening should be based on a patient’s risk. “We should evaluate a patient’s risk first because a higher risk patient is going to be screened differently,” says Dr. Angotti.

For example, suppose someone has a family history of colon cancer. In that case, that person should be screened around age 40 vs. the general recommendation of age 45 for the first screening, she adds.

Still, we may get too busy and forget to get screened every year. To help remind the public, every cancer organization has its own awareness month (e.g., breast cancer month in October).

However, if that doesn’t grab your attention, Dr. Angotti recommends using your birthday month to get any preventive screening done. Some people choose to get screened in the month a loved one was diagnosed with a certain cancer as a way to honor them.

Moving Forward

Cancer screenings that were put on hold for two months at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have resumed. However, many people are still afraid to return to get them performed, despite the comprehensive infection control practices in place throughout the health system.

Unfortunately, Dr. Angotti says, this gap in care had “a huge detrimental” effect. “We saw a surge, sadly, in more advanced cancers, which was really disheartening. Patients were more fearful of contracting COVID in the hospital setting than they were of untreated serious disease, which was unfounded.”

What is heartening is that Doylestown offers state-of-the-art cancer care that also encourages close, supportive working relationships between patients and their care team, according to Dr. Angotti.

“We are fortunate to have a tremendous community partnership here at the hospital that dates back to the turn of the 20 ^th century and the founding of our hospital by a group of concerned community women. Our donors have made it so much easier to support patients through any aspect of cancer care, including the screening process,” she adds.

• Visit the American Cancer Society guidelines for more information on cancer screening at any age.