Filed by Stephanie Harris
Posted: Sep 3, 2008 02:56 PM
Updated: Sep 3, 2008 06:01 PM
CHESAPEAKE, VA (WAVY.com) -- Mammograms, Pap Smears and Colonoscopies; the smashing, poking and scoping scare some people, but Ellie Duarte, who had stage four colon cancer, says it's much better than the alternative.
"I had surgery. They removed a foot and two inches of my colon, removed 60 lymph nodes and it was on its way to the liver."
Ellie, who now works as a patient navigator at the Sidney Oman Cancer Center at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, says eventually everyone should be screened.
The American Cancer Society recommends women start with clinical and self breast exams at age 20, yearly mammogram starting at age 40, and an MRI is recommended for women at high risk.
Women also need annual Pap Smears to screen for cervical cancer.
The first should be done three years after you've become sexually active, but no later than age 21.
Men should be screened for prostate cancer beginning at age 50 with the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test and a DRE (digital rectal exam).
Those at high risk, specifically African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer, should begin earlier between ages 40 and 45.
Both men and women should be screened for colon and rectal cancer beginning at age 50 - but talk to your doctor about earlier screenings if you have a history of bowel disease or a family history of colorectal cancer.
Doctors tell WAVY.com the quicker you catch it, the more likely you can be cured, and face the future with a smile, just like Ellie.
"I saw him (my oncologist) two months ago and he said you're making a joke out of your cancer and that's the way I'm gonna keep it."
