Cancer Screening & Detection Program

Screening for breast cancer starts with a mammogram at age 40 or earlier with family history. Learn more about getting a mammogram at Mercy’s Women’s Center.

Screening for colorectal cancer starts with a colonoscopy at age 45 or earlier with family history. Learn more about getting a colonoscopy at Mercy’s Gastroenterology Clinic.

Screening for cervical cancer starts with a pap smear.  

Screening for lung cancer starts with a low-dose CT chest screening exam. Qualified patients include long-term, heavy smokers aged 50 to 77. No signs or symptoms of lung cancer; have a tobacco smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (one pack-year = smoking one pack per day for one year; one pack = 20 cigarettes); and be a current smoker or one who has quit smoking in the last 15 years.

Learn more about low-dose CT chest screening and guidelines from Mercy’s Pulmonology Clinic.

Screening for prostate cancer starts with a PSA blood draw at age 45 or age 40 for those at high risk, including African-American men or men with a family history. Learn more about getting a PSA blood draw from Mercy’s Urology Clinic.

Screening for skin cancer starts with a skin examination at any age and is dependent on suspicious moles or lesions. Learn more about getting a skin examination from Hall-Perrine Cancer Center’s Surgical Oncology Department.

Some cancers (about 5% to 10%) are caused by inherited gene changes passed down through families. Learn more about who should consider genetic testing from Hall-Perrine Cancer Center’s High-Risk Genetic Services.