Men’s Cancer Testing and Men’s Healthcare Services
In the past, men have been hesitant to get medical attention when something seems wrong with their health. Men are also not as likely as women to have preventive screenings and checkups with their healthcare team. This becomes a problem because early detection of an issue is the best way to treat it effectively. Delaying or avoiding a checkup or screening could turn a treatable situation into something deadly.
While you should get some screenings, like HIV and hepatitis C, you should have screenings for certain conditions and cancers regularly.
Vaccines are also essential to prevent infectious diseases. Vaccinations for men are administered at different intervals during adulthood.
Regular Physical Exams
If you are older than fifty, you should have a yearly physical exam, and if you are younger than fifty, you should have a physical exam every three to five years. Even if you feel healthy, a regular checkup with your healthcare team is an excellent way to confirm your health or identify an issue in its initial stages.
Another thing to consider is that health is not only physical. Talk with your healthcare team about your mental and emotional health. If you are struggling in those areas, help is available.
Screening can identify specific conditions and cancers, including:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm- If you are between 65 and 75 and have smoked more than one hundred cigarettes in your lifetime, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm screening ultrasound. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of your aorta, the primary blood vessel supplying blood to your body. Because the aorta is your body’s main supplier of blood, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding. If you are over sixty with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, you should consider screening at regular intervals.
- Colon cancer- Colon cancer screening should begin at age 45 or 10 years before the age at which an immediate relative was diagnosed with colon cancer. Get screened at age 36 if your mother was diagnosed at age 46. A colonoscopy is an effective procedure to identify colon cancer.
- Diabetes- If you are older than forty-five or have a body mass index above 25, regardless of your age, the American Diabetes Association recommends that you get screened for diabetes. Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes symptoms happen slowly and might not be noticeable, so remaining aware of your blood sugar levels and risk of developing diabetes is crucial.
- High blood pressure- A blood pressure reading is a good indication of many aspects of your health. High blood pressure can lead to physical problems, especially associated with the heart.
You should have your blood pressure checked at least every two years. You should consider having it checked more frequently if you have high blood pressure or are at risk of developing high blood pressure.
- High cholesterol- Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol can pose serious risks to your health and well-being. Starting at age 18, men at average risk of heart disease should have a cholesterol screening every five years. If you have a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks, smoke, eat a poor diet, are overweight, have diabetes, are physically inactive, or are older than forty-five, you may need more frequent testing.
- Lung cancer- It is recommended that annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT be done for adults ages 50 to 80 who have a 20-pack-per-year smoking history, currently smoke, or have quit within the past 15 years.
- Prostate cancer- It is advised that men be screened for prostate cancer starting at age 50.
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