Paul Szmal: I'd like to welcome in Maggie Cifanelli-Munger from Finger Lakes Community Health. We're going to be talking about health screenings, which are always good for prevention and early detection. Maggie, how are you this morning?
Guest: I'm doing well, Paul. Thank you so much. How are you doing today?
Paul Szmal: I am good. I am good. We want to cover a variety of different screenings. Some are obvious because they're constantly talked about, and others maybe not so much. Maybe one that falls into the not-so-much category would be cervical cancer because oftentimes screening can lead to prevention.
Guest: Yeah, that's absolutely correct.
Paul Szmal: Maggie, can you tell us why that works?
Guest: Yeah, so with cervical cancer, you know, it's really important that people attend those routine screenings, right? Those screenings are going to be what are going to let people know their health status and let them know, you know, if there's anything that's a little bit abnormal or anything that needs some of that follow-up. So we always encourage that our patients follow routine guidelines to make sure they're at their most healthy. With cervical cancer screenings, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers when it is caught early. The best way to catch it early is to attend those routine screenings. It's really important that you always watch for warning signs. You know, warning signs could be bleeding in between your menstrual cycle. It could be pain during intercourse, but oftentimes many people don't even show symptoms. So those routine screenings are really where you're going to find out what your status is and find out, you know, any further follow-up that you may need.
Paul Szmal: So when should you get screened for these? Does it differ by age range?
Guest: So yeah, it actually does. So it's recommended that you begin having your cervical cancer screenings completed starting at age 21. So if you're between the ages of 21 and 29 years old, it's recommended that you have a pap smear or a pap test every three years. Once you reach age 30, you're going to have a pap test every three years or an HPV test every five years. And you'll continue those screenings until age 65. Once you reach 65, if you have had normal pap smears for the past 10 years, your provider may have a discussion with you about no longer completing these screenings. But it's always between the patient and the provider at that point in time to figure out what the best follow-up would be from there.
Paul Szmal: Now, one of the early screenings that we constantly hear about is early detection of breast cancer. Screenings can help find us sometimes before symptoms like lumps can even present themselves.
Guest: Yes, that is absolutely correct. And breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. And a mammogram can absolutely help find cancer early, often before the patient's able to even detect anything is going on. So often people are a little nervous about having those mammograms completed. But we really make sure to talk to patients about what the screening entails. And we just make sure that they feel comfortable and confident going through with those screenings because it's best to know, to have those screenings completed and know that everything is okay.
Paul Szmal: And is there an appropriate time to start screening for breast cancer?
Guest: So you can begin screening for breast cancer at age 40. Most women should begin at age 40. And then you want to repeat that screening every one to two years based on your provider's advice. Many women will feel completely fine in the early stages of cancer. So they might not notice a lump. They might not experience any pain or anything like that. So starting those screenings at age 40 can really kind of help to catch that before it can become something that's a little harder to fight against.
Paul Szmal: Now, the lump is the most obvious indicator that there may be something going on. But there are also some other indicators.
Guest: Yes. So with breast cancer, obviously, like you said, the lump's going to be the big one that will tell someone that something's going on. But there's other things that you can look out for as well. So some of the other symptoms that come with breast cancer could be like dimpling in the skin of the breast. You might experience like skin changes. It's possible to even develop like a rash on your breast. Some people will experience nipple discharge or even pain. And it's really important that if you experience those things to let your doctor know. These are some of those symptoms that are not quite so common or so talked about. So sometimes women will kind of brush it off and think maybe it's related to their menstrual cycle or maybe it's related to menopause. But any type of breast change, whether it be skin changes, dimpling, a lump, discharge, anything like that, you want to let your provider know right away.
Paul Szmal: And one of the services that Finger Lakes Community Health often provides throughout the year is a visit from a mobile mammogram center to the different health center locations.
Guest: Yes, that is correct. So we work in partnership with one of the local mobile mammogram units and they bring the mobile mammo unit directly to our health centers. It's a wonderful service. That way, when our patients come in for their appointment with us, they can also go right out to the mobile mammo unit and have their mammogram completed as well. I have heard wonderful things about the mobile mammo screenings from our patients about how the staff is wonderful. The screening is really quick. We get people right in and right out. It usually takes about a total of 15 minutes. So these are screenings that can even be completed on somebody's lunch break if they need it. So it cuts down on that barrier of having to fit it in around your schedule or having to travel to a different location. It really is such a great service we can offer people.
Paul Szmal: We're talking with Maggie Cifanelli-Munger here on FLX Morning Sheets with Finger Lakes Community Health. We're talking about screenings. And the next one is one that affects women, but we most commonly hear about this with men, and that's colorectal cancer.
Guest: Yes. So colorectal cancer affects both men and women. And there are a lot of warning signs. And similar to what we talked about with the breast cancer screenings, the warning signs can go unnoticed. People might not think anything of it. Some of the warning signs for colon cancer could be changes in your bowel habits, blood in your stool, ongoing stomach pain, or even unexplained weight loss. It's often things that we won't think twice about. So again, that routine screening with the colon cancer is really going to help somebody.
Paul Szmal: And when it comes to screening for colorectal cancer, there are some different options available.
Guest: Yeah, that's correct. So there's a few different options, which kind of helps for people to give them a few things to think about. With colon cancer screenings, we can offer at-home screening kits, which are done in the comfort of your own home. We discuss with the patient what their preferences are. We put in an order, and the kit comes right to their house. They complete it from home. It's sent back out to the lab, and then we get the results. The other option, which this is the more commonly known option, is a colonoscopy. With that, we put in a referral to a gastroenterologist for you. You'll go in. You'll have your colonoscopy completed. And once you get back those results, if everything looks good, you do not need to rescreen for up to 10 years.
Paul Szmal: You know, I've had one of those done here just in the recent past. And I can tell you that, yeah, nobody likes the prep part. But the actual colonoscopy itself, it's like taking a nap. You wake up. You're fine.
Guest: Yep. You wake up. It's done and over with. And just having that longevity of not needing to rescreen for up to 10 years is just so wonderful for folks.
Paul Szmal: Now here's one that, file this one under something you may not normally think about, and it's sexually transmitted infections and things like HIV, these are important things to screen for too.
Guest: Yes, absolutely. So we recommend that everybody routinely screen for STIs and HIV. We say, you know, you're coming in every year for your physical. Why don't we tack on routine STI and HIV testing to your physical as well? You're going to have other labs done anyways. What's one more? This is really important for people to know their status. Sexually transmitted infections and HIV can affect anyone, you know, any age, male, female, it doesn't matter. Many people think that they only need to be tested when they're younger. But screening is important at every single stage of life.
Paul Szmal: And what are some of the warning signs that you may be experiencing an STI, Maggie?
Guest: So funny enough, the number one symptom of an STI is actually nothing at all, which is why that routine screening is so important. Some common signs and symptoms could be like a regular discharge. You may experience rashes. You might experience pain with urination. You could experience pain with intercourse. You also may experience flu-like symptoms. So some of the symptoms for an STI are not going to immediately raise those red flags to make you think that it's an STI. It could be things like systemic pain. But again, that's why the routine screening is so important.
Paul Szmal: And when it comes to a lot of these screenings, things like cervical cancer tests, colorectal screenings, mammograms, these are often covered by most insurance plans. But if you don't have insurance or your insurance doesn't cover it, you do have options.
Guest: Yes, you absolutely do have options. So for these routine screenings, if your insurance doesn't cover it or if you're uninsured, we have different programs that we work with to make it so that people can have these routine screenings completed. These programs can cover these routine screenings at full cost so that the patient does not have to worry about cost being a barrier to their care. We can connect them with one of our patient navigators who can help them get set up through one of these programs so that their health care doesn't ever have to be put on hold because of lack of insurance or lack of ability to pay.
Paul Szmal: Bottom line is if you think you have symptoms or even if you don't, when the time is right, you should go ahead and schedule these screenings with your provider. Go through the process because early detection often leads to being able to prevent bigger problems down the road.
Guest: Yes, that is absolutely correct. And all of these screenings can be done, you know, it can be done in the comfort of your provider's office, someone you've been working with, someone you feel comfortable with, and it can prevent a long road of further appointments and further health concerns.
Paul Szmal: Maggie, as always, we appreciate having folks from Finger Lakes Community Health with us. Glad you joined us today.
Guest: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.
