OCR Text |
Show Gallop study in cancer detection Most American adults are familiar with the common tests for the early detection of cancer according to the fin-dinds fin-dinds of a recent Gallop study done for tbe American Cancer Society, and a local doctor thinks the finds are groat. The study, in which over l,.r0C adults were questioned, showed that public awareness of cancer conditions to make significant gains as compared to previous studies. "People are becoming better educated about their health," says J. Preston Hughes, M.D., president of the Utah Division, American Cancer Society. Socie-ty. '"Greater awareness of early detection detec-tion is due in part to the work of the Cancer Society." The early detection test that is most familiar to the public is the Pap test for uterine cancer. Ninety-two percent of the women questioned were aware of this procedure and 86 percent have had at least one. The incidence of cervical cancer of the uterus has been steadily decreasing over the past few decades. The second most familiar procedure is breast examination done by a physician. physi-cian. Eighty-six percent of the women in the study were aware of the examination examina-tion and 79 percent have had it. Eighty percent also knew about mammography, mam-mography, x-ray of the breast, and 41 percent reported having hud a mammogram. mam-mogram. Although 77 percent of the women say they have performed breast self examination, ex-amination, only 22 percent claim to do it regularly once a month, as recommended recom-mended by the Society. Most breast cancers today are discovered accident -ly by women themselves. Least known by study participants was the guaiac slide test for hidden blood in the stool, an important tool in the early detection of colo rectal cancer. Twenty-six percent of the target population 50 years of age or over were aware of the test and nineteen nine-teen percent had ever had it. Dr. Hughes, a colon and rectum surgeon, believes the lack of awareness is due in part to the delicacy of the subject sub-ject and the newness of the test. "The test is not new to doctors," explains ex-plains Dr. Hughes. "It is new to the public. In the last year or so the Cancer Society, at least here in Utah, has been making the guaiac slide test available to the public and gradually their awareness will grow. It takes time." The study also revealed a relatively higher awareness and use of test by those persons for whom certain tests are specifically recommended according accor-ding to age. In viewing the priority cancer sites and early detection tests as a whole, women tended to score higher than men in taking action to protect themselves against cancer, and older adults scored higher than adults of younger age. The Gallop study also showed almost half of the participants 143 percent) said that they had had a complete health checkup within the past year, and 42 percent claim to get one every year. The majority (84 percent) said they'd be more likely to consult a doctor if they knew they were at a high risk for certain cancers. |