Cancer Screening Recommendations: Common Questions
The tests recommended for people without symptoms to find cancer or precancer early.
Last revised
Cancer Screening Recommendations: the questions people actually ask, answered from published guidance.
Key takeaways
- Colorectal: ages 45 to 75, by stool test or colonoscopy at the recommended interval
- Breast: mammography every 2 years, ages 40 to 74
- Most useful single change: Ask your doctor which screenings are due for your age and history.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming screening replaces reporting symptoms.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
What is Cancer Screening Recommendations?
The tests recommended for people without symptoms to find cancer or precancer early.
Why does it matter?
Screening is recommended only where the evidence shows benefit outweighs harm, which is why there are fewer recommended tests than people expect.
Key limitation for Cancer Screening Recommendations?
A normal result does not exclude disease.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Ask your doctor which screenings are due for your age and history.
What is the most common mistake?
Assuming screening replaces reporting symptoms.
When should I see a doctor?
Report new symptoms to your doctor even after a normal screening result. See your doctor promptly for a breast lump or nipple change, bleeding between periods or after menopause, a persistent change in bowel habits, blood in stool or urine, or unexplained weight loss. Call 911 for heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting.
Related topics
- Cancer Screening: What Published Guidance Supports (Cancer Awareness)
- Cervical Screening: What the Evidence Actually Says (Women's Health)
- Colorectal Cancer Screening: What Published Guidance Supports (Men's Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Cervical Screening and HPV (Sexual Health)
Where to go next
- Cancer Screening Recommendations: The Practical To-Do List
- Myths About Cancer Screening Recommendations, Checked Against the Guidance
- Cancer Screening Recommendations — the reference entry
- Preventive Care: The Complete Guide
- What the Guidance Really Says About Blood Pressure Checks
- The Evidence on Adult Vaccination, Without the Hype
When to get help
Report new symptoms to your doctor even after a normal screening result. See your doctor promptly for a breast lump or nipple change, bleeding between periods or after menopause, a persistent change in bowel habits, blood in stool or urine, or unexplained weight loss. Call 911 for heavy bleeding with dizziness or fainting.
Where this comes from
- US Preventive Services Task Force — Colorectal Cancer: Screening
- US Preventive Services Task Force — Breast Cancer: Screening
- American Cancer Society — American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
