Cancer Screening

Identifying and treating cancer as early as possible significantly increases your chance of survival. Treatment is also likely to be less distressing and disabling. Elahe Toulouie MD Inc. offers cancer screening at offices in La Mesa, El Cajon, and San Diego, California. Dr. Toulouie and her team look for early signs of cancer before you develop symptoms. Call your nearest office to discuss which cancer screening tests can benefit you, or schedule a consultation by completing the online booking form.

What cancer screenings might I need?

Screening isn’t available for all cancers, but some have excellent screening programs. These include:

Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer affects the cervix, where a woman’s vagina and uterus join. The most likely cause is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that’s widespread and often causes no symptoms.

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer affects the colon (large intestine or bowel) and/or rectum. It usually develops from growths called polyps that are mostly harmless but sometimes become cancerous. Removing polyps before they mutate is the best way to prevent colorectal cancer.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is second only to skin cancer as the leading cancer in women. It can also affect men.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer affects the gland beneath a man’s bladder that produces semen. Most prostate cancers are slow-growing, but some are aggressive and metastasize (spread) quickly.

What does cancer screening involve?

Cancer screening methods include:

Pap smears

A Pap smear for cervical cancer involves having an internal exam. Your Elahe Toulouie MD Inc. provider collects cells from your cervix with a cotton swab for lab analysis.

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy uses a long, flexible tube fitted with a light and camera (colonoscope). Your provider passes the colonoscope into your rectum and along the colon to your small intestine. They watch the camera feed on a monitor to look for polyps. If they see any, they can remove them.

Mammogram

A mammogram is a specially designed breast X-ray that detects cancers you can’t even feel.

Are blood tests used for cancer screening?

Blood tests can form part of your cancer screening. For example, a fecal occult blood test detects hidden blood in stool samples. While this might be a sign of colorectal cancer, it can also mean you have ulcerative colitis or another bowel disease. If you have a positive test, you should undergo a colonoscopy to determine the cause.

Similarly, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increases when you have prostate problems. This antigen is detectable in your blood, but the test can’t confirm if the problem is cancer or another disorder.

Sometimes your provider needs to do a biopsy (extract a tissue sample) to confirm if you have cancer.

Call Elahe Toulouie MD Inc. to find out which cancer screening tests you need, or book an appointment online today.