Cancer surveillance

Cancer surveillance uses scheduled examinations or tests to detect cancer early in people at elevated risk. It focuses on ongoing monitoring rather than a one-time screening test.

Breast cancer screening: Tests and examinations used to detect breast cancer before symptoms appear. Enhanced breast imaging is a common surveillance strategy for people with inherited breast cancer risk.
Cancer screening: Testing people without symptoms to find cancer or precancerous changes before they cause illness. Surveillance is a risk-focused form of screening conducted on a planned schedule.
Cancer risk assessment: Evaluation of a person's chance of developing cancer using personal, family, genetic, and environmental factors. Surveillance intensity depends on estimating risk rather than applying one schedule to everyone.
Lead-time bias: An apparent increase in survival time caused by earlier diagnosis without delaying death. Longer survival measured from diagnosis can exaggerate surveillance benefit.
Colorectal cancer screening: Tests used to detect colorectal cancer or precancerous growths in people without symptoms. Inherited colorectal cancer syndromes often require earlier and more frequent colonoscopy.
Magnetic resonance imaging: An imaging method that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed internal images. MRI can examine high-risk organs without ionizing radiation, including during breast surveillance.
Genetic counseling: A process that explains inherited conditions, genetic testing, and their implications for individuals and families. Counseling helps interpret inherited risk and choose relevant surveillance options.
Length-time bias: A distortion in screening results because slower-growing diseases are more likely to be detected. Surveillance disproportionately finds indolent cancers, making detected cases seem to fare better.
Hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance: Repeated testing to detect primary liver cancer in people at elevated risk. Cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis can prompt scheduled ultrasound and blood testing.
Colonoscopy: An examination of the colon using a flexible camera passed through the rectum. It can detect colorectal tumors and remove precancerous polyps during surveillance.

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