Cancer Screening & Prevention

Regular cancer screening tests are one of the most important things you can do for your health. Take action to reduce your risk of breast, cervical and colon cancer.

Why screen for cancer?

Cancer screening saves lives. Most deaths from breast, cervical and colon cancer are preventable by having a regular screening test for each disease.

Screening tests help find diseases and health conditions early before you have any symptoms. Finding cancer in its early stages when it is easier to treat leads to better health outcomes.

Screening can prevent:

1 death for every 1000 people screened for breast cancer
7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer
90 out of 100 deaths from colon cancer

Prevention

Breast cancer

Things you can do to reduce your risk

Be physically active

Physical activity protects you against developing breast cancer, no matter how old you are. Even if you have never exercised before, it’s never too late to start.

Visit Physical activity for ways to get active.

‎Research studies show a link between weight and the risk for breast cancer after menopause (end of your period). Maintaining a healthy weight throughout your life will help reduce your risk. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are the best ways to manage your weight.

Visit Eating well and Physical activity for more info.

Limit your alcohol

Drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing breast cancer. The less you drink, the better, and no alcohol is best.

Canada’s Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines recommend women limit their drinking to no more than 10 drinks a week, and no more than 2 drinks a day most days. Breast cancer experts recommend even less alcohol – less than one drink per day.

Breastfeed if possible

Not everyone is able to breastfeed, however, if you can, breastfeeding will reduce your risk of developing breast cancer as well as provide the best nutrition for your baby’s health.

Learn more about breastfeeding and breastfeeding & breast cancer risk.

Weigh hormone replace therapy risks + benefits

Hormonal changes due to menopause (when you stop having your period) may cause hot flushes, poor sleep and mood swings. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be useful for relieving these symptoms.

However, research shows long-term use of combined hormone replacement therapy (synthetic estrogen and progesterone) increases the risk of breast cancer.

Learn more about HRT and cancer risks from the Canadian Cancer Society.

Know your breasts

Know how your breasts look and feel so that you are more likely to notice when there are changes. Watch for breast lumps or swelling, nipple discharge or any changes in your nipples, breast size, shape or skin.

Talk to your health care provider right away if you notice breast changes.

Have a mammogram when the time is right

Screening mammograms are available for BC residents 40 years and older with no symptoms.

Visit the BC Cancer "Who Should screen?" for information on screening recommendations for people of different age groups and risk factors.

Visit Five Plus Steps to Breast Health for more info on reducing breast cancer risk.

Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix start to grow abnormally forming tumours. The earlier cervical cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

Anyone with a cervix, including women, Two-Spirit, transgender and non-binary people, between the ages of 25 and 69 should screen for cervical cancer every 3 to 5 years.

You can now choose how you'd like to screen for cervical cancer.

Cervix screening - at home or in the doctor's office

‎Cervix screening looks for high-risk strains of HPV that may lead to abnormal cells in the cervix. Cervix screening is an alternative to the Pap for routine screening.

Cervix screening can be done:

By your provider in their office or clinic
At home using a cervix self-screening kit

To order a free cervix self-screening kit, fill out an online kit request form or call 1-877-702-6566.

Pap test

‎A Pap (Papanicolaou) test looks for abnormal cells in the cervix and/or HPV.

If you prefer to continue using a Pap test for your cervical screening, contact your health care provider or a medical clinic.

Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and speak with a Health Service Navigator about how to find a family doctor accepting new patients, accessing walk-in clinics, or finding a nurse practitioner near you.
Use the clinic locator to find a clinic in your community that offers Pap tests. Contact the clinic directly to confirm availability for Pap testing.

Visit BC Cancer: Get Screened for more information about self screening and how cervix screening helps prevent cancer.

For more information visit Cervical Health.

Colon cancer

Reduce your risk of colon cancer

Age is the biggest risk factor for colon cancer; so all adults 50-74 years old need to be screened regularly.

There are 2 different tests available – the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and colonoscopy. Talk to your doctor about which test is right for you.

1. Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)

every 2 years for people over 50 years of age who are at low risk for colon cancer

2. Colonoscopy

every 5 years for people over 50 years of age with at least 1 of the following:

first degree relative (mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son) with colon cancer diagnosed under the age of 60; or
2 or more first degree relatives with colon cancer diagnosed at any age; or
a personal history of adenomas (non-cancerous tumours).

As with other cancers, regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight for your body, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake all help to reduce your risk for colon cancer.

Visit Screening BC for more info about screening for colon cancer.

Tab Heading

Provincial Health Services Authority