This Father's Day, let's talk about annual health screenings

With the arrival of Father's Day, millions of people across the country are planning to bond or reconnect with their fathers or other influential men in their lives. While you're delivering gifts, cards or simply spending quality time with one another, you might also try to provide a vital reminder: Have they gotten their annual health screening?

It may sound simple and obvious, but the numbers indicate a problem. According to a recent study, three times as many men as women had not seen a physician in the previous year, and more than half of all men had not had a physical exam in the same period. Additionally, according to Harvard and Rutgers, men who “self-report traditional views on masculinity are also less likely to get consistent health care.”

This situation that's been bubbling under the surface became more evident during COVID; whether we realize it or not, we are still seeing the ripple effects of the roughly 1 in 5 individuals who have avoided routine medical appointments and screenings during the pandemic. With early detection being the best way to improve the effectiveness of a condition's treatment and management, this means far too many of the health issues that have developed or worsened in the last few years have been preventable.

Closing the gap in terms of more men getting regularly screened and tested isn't just about an individual's well-being, it also elevates the health of your local community.

When trying to convince the men in your life why to get an annual screening, it's worth discussing some of these too-common issues to help get ahead of anything serious:

Lung cancer

This is the main cancer-related cause of death in the United States, with nearly 240,000 new cases diagnosed and over 130,000 deaths each year. While most forms of lung cancer stem from smoking, people exposed to secondhand smoke over extended periods of time can also get it. Unfortunately, even those not exposed to smoke can get it as well.

Men 55 or older with a history of moderate smoking are strongly encouraged to receive a low-dose CT scan, which has been used increasingly in recent years and can help find abnormal areas in the lungs that may be cancer. Research has shown that unlike chest X-rays, annual LDCT scans for those who are at higher risk can save lives.

For these people, getting yearly LDCT scans before symptoms start can help lower the risk of dying from lung cancer.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and while it tends to be a slow-growing cancer, some types can be significantly more aggressive.

Prostate cancer can often be found early by testing for prostate-specific antigen levels in the blood. Another way to find prostate cancer is the digital rectal exam, in which a doctor examines the prostate gland by touch. Men should begin getting regular screenings by age 50 or 10 years prior to the age a family member was diagnosed.

Although many hospitals and health systems such as El Camino Health have had notable success in treating these cancers at a later stage, the ultimate goal is to diagnose these cancers earlier when the chance for a cure is greatest.

Colon cancer

Between 2008 to 2017, deaths of younger people, under the age of 55, from colon cancer increased 1% annually. Given that, regular screenings are recommended for men in their 40s — or if you have a family history, 10 years prior to the age a family member was diagnosed.

Colonoscopies are extremely common and effective procedures, and there are even noninvasive take-home tests to help screen for colon cancer.

As you likely are aware, catching cancer early often allows for a higher likelihood of successful treatment, so this is not just about “doing the right thing” — it's about potentially saving someone's life, in this case your loved one.

So this Father's Day, let your words of proactive care and concern be the greatest gift.