Prevention and Screening
Nearly half of all cancers can be prevented through healthy living. This includes eating a healthy diet, having a healthy body weight, being physically active, avoiding tobacco use and limiting alcohol.
Screening tests help find some types of cancer before you have any symptoms. Tests are available for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. Talk to your doctor or nurse about which screening tests are right for you.
Cancer screening means getting “checked” for a cancer when you have no signs or symptoms and are considered in good health.
Getting checked for cancer through a screening test may:
- Check for health problems before signs and symptoms appear.
- Find cancers at an early stage, before symptoms appear and before it has spread, making it easier to treat.
If signs of cancer are found through the screening test, more tests may be done to get a diagnosis.
The Cancer Care Program offers cancer screening programs for breast, cervical and colon cancer, as well as a pilot project for lung screening. Research does not currently support screening programs for other types of cancers.
If you have questions about screening for other types of cancer, please talk to your health-care provider.
For more information on each screening program and to take part, please follow the links below:
To learn more about the NL Lung Screening Pilot, including eligibility criteria and referral options, please visit the Lung Screening Pilot page.