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Prevention, Screening and Diagnosis

Screening & Testing

Cancer Prevention

Though a small percentage of cancers are inherited, the majority of cases are not. It’s true that cancer risk increases with age, but it’s a mistake to think that getting cancer is inevitable. Living a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly and managing your stress, goes far in preventing many types of cancer.

You can take control of your health and reduce your cancer risk:

  • Stay away from tobacco; if you are a smoker, we offer ongoing smoking cessation programs and classes that can help you quit.
  • Stay at a healthy weight
  • Get moving with regular physical activity
  • Eat healthy
  • Limit alcohol consumption
  • Protect your skin
  • Know yourself, your family history, and your risks
  • Have regular check-ups and cancer screening tests

Cancer Screening: Get Your Tests!

Recommended cancer testing can help save your life. Cancer screening exams can detect pre-cancerous changes in your body that can be treated before the cancer has a chance to develop. Also, early detection and treatment often offer the best odds for full recovery.

Be sure to tell your doctor or nurse if you have had any type of cancer or if your mother, father, brother, sister, or children have had cancer. You may need to begin testing for some cancers earlier or be tested more often if you have certain risk factors. Learn more about genetic testing and counseling.

At Torrance Memorial, we offer the full array of common cancer screenings:

  • Breast Cancer: A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that is used to help look for signs of breast cancer in women who don’t have any breast symptoms or problems.
  • Cervical Cancer:
    • Pap Test - The Pap test checks for cell changes or abnormal cells in the cervix.
    • HPV Test - The human papillomavirus (HPV) test checks for the virus and can be done at the same time as the Pap test.
    • Primary HPV Test - An HPV test that is done by itself for screening.
    • Co-Testing - Testing with an HPV test and a Pap test
  • Colorectal Cancer: These tests can help prevent colorectal cancer or find it early when it may be easier to treat. Colorectal cancer can be prevented by finding and removing a polyp before it becomes cancer.
  • Lung Cancer: People who smoke or used to smoke are at higher risk for lung cancer. Talk to a health care provider about your risk for lung cancer, and the possible benefits, limitations, and harms of getting tested for early lung cancer.
  • Prostate Cancer: Levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood may be higher in men with prostate cancer, in addition to other conditions. With a digital rectal exam, a health care provider checks the prostate for lumps or abnormal size.
  • Skin Cancer: A thorough examination of the skin is performed; if suspicious lesions are found, a skin biopsy can be performed.

Insurance typically covers prevention and screening services. Please check to confirm your specific health care benefits.

Recommended Cancer Screening Tests

25 to 39 Years

Colorectal Cancer Testing

Find out if you are at high risk for colon or rectal cancer. If not, then no test is needed at this time.

Prostate Cancer Testing

No test is needed at this time.

Breast Cancer Testing

Find out if you are at high risk for breast cancer. If not, testing is not needed at this time.

Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you notice any changes in the way your breasts look or feel.

Cervical Cancer Testing

People ages 25 to 65 years old who have a cervix should get a primary HPV test every 5 years. If a primary HPV test is not available, get a co-test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years.

People ages 66 and older who have had regular cervical cancer testing in the past 10 years with normal results should not be tested.

People who have had serious cervical precancer should be tested for at least 25 years after that diagnosis, even if testing continues past age 65 years.

People whose cervix was removed by surgery should stop testing unless the surgery was done to treat cervical cancer or a serious precancer.

40 to 49 Years

Colorectal Cancer Testing

Start testing at age 45. Several types of tests can be used. Talk with a health care provider about which tests are best for you. No matter which test you choose, the most important thing is to get tested.

Prostate Cancer Testing

Starting at age 45, men at high risk (African American men, Caribbean men of African ancestry, and men with close family members who had prostate cancer before age 65) should discuss the potential risks and benefits of testing with a health care provider. They should then decide if they want to be tested with a PSA blood test with or without a digital rectal exam.

Breast Cancer Testing

Women ages 40-44 should have the choice to start breast cancer screening with mammograms every year if they wish to do so. Starting at age 45, get a mammogram every year.

Cervical Cancer Testing

People ages 25 to 65 years old who have a cervix should get a primary HPV test every 5 years. If a primary HPV test is not available, get a co-test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years.

People ages 66 and older who have had regular cervical cancer testing in the past 10 years with normal results should not be tested.

People who have had serious cervical precancer should be tested for at least 25 years after that diagnosis, even if testing continues past age 65 years.

People whose cervix was removed by surgery should stop testing unless the surgery was done to treat cervical cancer or a serious precancer.

50+ Years

Colorectal Cancer Testing

Start testing at age 45. Several types of tests can be used. Talk with a health care provider about which tests are best for you. No matter which test you choose, the most important thing is to get tested.

Prostate Cancer Testing

Talk with a health care provider about the potential risks and benefits of testing to decide if testing is right for you. If you decide to be tested, you should have a PSA blood test with or without a digital rectal exam. Talk to your doctor about how often you will get tested.

Breast Cancer Testing

Get a mammogram every year between the ages of 45 and 54, then at 55 you can switch to mammograms every 2 years, or continue yearly screening. Screening should continue as long as you are in good health and are expected to live at least 10 more years.

Cervical Cancer Testing

People ages 25 to 65 years old who have a cervix should get a primary HPV test every 5 years. If a primary HPV test is not available, get a co-test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years.

People ages 66 and older who have had regular cervical cancer testing in the past 10 years with normal results should not be tested.

People who have had serious cervical precancer should be tested for at least 25 years after that diagnosis, even if testing continues past age 65 years.

People whose cervix was removed by surgery should stop testing unless the surgery was done to treat cervical cancer or a serious precancer.

Lung Cancer Testing

The new recommendations include yearly low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans for people aged 50 to 80 years old, rather than starting at 55, as past guidelines suggest. It also reduces the pack-years of smoking history that make a person eligible, dropping the baseline from 30 to 20. A pack-year is the equivalent of smoking an average of 1 pack of cigarettes each day for a year. Contact your insurance company prior to screening to ensure your scan is covered.

Advanced Diagnostic Tests for Cancer

Many cases of cancer are identified by screening tests. Still others are found when a symptom, such as a lump, digestive problems or some other sort of physical change, suggests there may be a problem.

At the Hunt Cancer Institute, our specialists use advanced techniques and technology to determine whether cancer is present and, if so, to identify the specific type so we can recommend the most effective treatment.

Imaging

Advanced imaging capabilities that allow visualization into the body and even inside the organs have revolutionized modern cancer diagnosis and treatment. Every year advances in imaging technology bring greater accuracy and less discomfort to people with cancer. Physicians now use imaging devices and procedures at every phase of cancer treatment, including for screening, diagnosis and staging.

Here at Torrance Memorial, our Hunt Cancer Institute provides our South Bay Community access to some of the most sophisticated imaging technology available. Our expert radiologists and technologists use the latest imaging technology to detect suspicious areas and find cancer (even pre-cancer) at the earliest and most treatable stages.

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Biopsy

A biopsy (a sample of tissue taken from the part of your body where cancer is suspected) is how cancer is diagnosed. Imaging tests, such as X-rays, are helpful in detecting masses or areas of abnormality, but they can't differentiate cancerous cells from noncancerous ones. A biopsy to collect cells for closer examination is required to definitively diagnose most types of cancer.

Our pathology labs use multiple techniques to test biopsied tissue to determine whether it is cancer and, if so, of what specific type and sub-type. Accurate diagnosis is vital to successful treatment of cancer.

At Torrance Memorial we use advanced techniques and modern imaging technology to obtain biopsies in the least invasive fashion. We do everything we can to help you stay comfortable during the procedure, and to ensure that your recovery is quick and uneventful.

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Pathology

An accurate diagnosis is the most important part of your cancer testing and screening. Torrance Memorial has an advanced laboratory with top-tier technology. Our expert pathologists use a sophisticated array of tests and analyses to thoroughly examine all biopsies and tissue samples to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

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