“Cancer is a Word, not a Sentence” ~ John Diamond
Cancer Screening and Early Detection
If you suspect you might have cancer, it’s important to seek medical attention promptly.
Family history, as well as common symptoms of different cancers such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or night sweats, along with a change in symptoms or energy might prompt an individual to investigate whether cancer is a risk.
It’s important to note that many of the potential symptoms of cancer can be explained by a multitude of other factors and health issues.
While cancer can be a stressful consideration, there may be many other potential causes to your current symptoms and concerns.
Below are a few of the preliminary types of practitioners and organisations to consult if you suspect a cancer diagnosis.
Primary Care Doctor
The first step is to consult with your primary care physician or general practitioner. They can evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and perform initial tests.
Based on their assessment, they may refer you to a specialist if cancer is suspected.
Oncologist
Oncologists specialise in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cancer. There are different types of oncologists, including;
- Medical Oncologists who treat cancer with chemotherapy and targeted therapies
- Surgical Oncologists who perform surgical procedures to remove tumours
- Radiation Oncologists who administer radiation therapy
Other Medical Specialists
The type of specialist you see depends on the specific symptoms and suspected type of cancer.
Hematologist
Hematologists specialise in diseases of the blood and blood-forming tissues. They might be involved if you have blood-related cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.
Gynecologist
For individuals with gynecological cancers like ovarian, cervical, or uterine cancer, a gynecologist might be the appropriate specialist to consult.
Urologist
If you’re concerned about prostate, bladder, kidney, or testicular cancer, a urologist is a specialist who deals with disorders of the urinary and male reproductive systems.
Dermatologist
Skin cancers, such as melanoma or basal cell carcinoma, might require evaluation and treatment by a dermatologist.
Gastroenterologist
For gastrointestinal cancers like colorectal cancer, a gastroenterologist might be involved in diagnosis and treatment.
Thoracic Surgeon
If you have lung cancer, a thoracic surgeon might be involved in diagnosis and surgical treatment.
Breast Surgeon
For breast cancer, a breast surgeon or surgical oncologist specialising in breast surgery might be consulted.
Head and Neck Surgeon
For cancers in the head and neck region, including throat, tongue, and thyroid cancers, a head and neck surgeon might be involved.
Functional Medicine Practitioner
While conventional screening should always be sought out, as well as regular physical exams and checking in with your Primary Care Physician, a Functional Medicine practitioner may be able to help in offering support for your weaker systems.
Functional Medicine Practitioners can help with prevention, while you pursue conventional testing and screening.
Functional Doctors will generally ensure you’re working on the foundations of health, and often perform additional screening to optimise different systems, such as gut health, cognitive health, or blood markers of chronic illness.
Prevention of chronic disease is supported through the right diet, supplementation, movement and lifestyle practices for your specific biology based on intakes as well as a range of data through testing.
GRAIL Technology
While working with your conventional MD and ideally a Functional MD or ND in conjunction, pursuing Grail Technology, may offer an additional and more general cancer screening.
Because testing is often so specialised in particular areas (like in prostate cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, etc.) Grail technology differentiates itself by testing cancer-associated genetic changes that may lead to early detection of different kinds of cancers.
Next Steps to Preventive Cancer Screening.
It’s important to keep in mind that regardless of symptom picture, you should be screening for common cancers with your Primary Care Physician that are in line with the current guidelines for your age and sex.
When you’ve gone through the initial steps of consulting with your Primary Care Doctor and pursuing any further relevant testing with a specialist, you may want to investigate GRAIL technology testing and/or work with a Functional Medicine MD or ND.
Although some Functional Doctors offer Primary Care, it is often best when utilized alongside conventional screening and a Primary Care Doctor. Functional Doctors have a wide variety of screening and tools, to optimise your current health and work preventively to reduce your risk of a wide variety of chronic health conditions.
You have what it takes inside you to make a definite choice that will change the future trajectory of your health.
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