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Early Detection / Prevention

The earlier cancer is detected, the greater the chances of a successful outcome to treatment.

Some types of cancer can be found before they cause symptoms. Checking for cancer -- or for conditions that may lead to cancer -- in people who have no symptoms is called screening. Screening can help doctors find and treat some types of cancer early. Generally, cancer treatment is more effective when the disease is found early. However, not all types of cancer have screening tests and some tests are only for people with specific genetic risks.

Screening Tests

Please read What you need to know about cancer screenings before learning about individual cancer screenings:

• Breast Cancer Detection
• Colorectal Cancer Detection and Prevention
• Lung cancer screening
• Melanoma Prevention and Screening
• Prostate Cancer Detection

Information about the genetic aspects of cancer detection and prevention on our Cancer Genetics webpages