Arkansas Cancer Screening Guidelines by Age
Cancer screening guidelines change as you age. Regular screenings can detect cancer early when it is most treatable, or even prevent it by finding precancerous changes. Click on each each age range to learn more about specific screening guidelines for that age range.
At this age, screening focuses on cervical health and understanding your personal and family cancer risks.
| Cancer Type | Screening Test | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | Mammogram | Routine mammograms are not recommended for average-risk individuals. Learn how your breasts normally look and feel, and report any changes to a provider immediately. Know your family history—if close relatives had breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer, speak with a doctor about earlier screening. |
| Colon | Colonoscopy or Stool Test (FIT / Cologuard) | Routine colonoscopies are not recommended for average-risk individuals. Know your family history—if close relatives had breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer, speak with a doctor about earlier screening. |
| Cervical | HPV Test | Women and other individuals at average risk for cervical cancer should be screened regularly starting at age 25. A primary HPV test (HPV test alone) on a cervical sample collected by a health care provider, every 5 years. This is the preferred option. Getting screened regularly is the most important thing, no matter which test you get. You should be screened even if you’ve received the HPV vaccine or are not sexually active. |
This decade is important for continued cervical cancer prevention and assessing inherited cancer risks.
| Cancer Type | Screening Test | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | Mammogram | Routine mammograms are not recommended for average-risk individuals. Learn how your breasts normally look and feel, and report any changes to a provider immediately. Know your family history—if close relatives had breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer, speak with a doctor about earlier screening |
| Colon | Colonoscopy or Stool Test (FIT / Cologuard) | Routine colonoscopies are not recommended for average-risk individuals. Know your family history—if close relatives had breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer, speak with a doctor about earlier screening. |
| Cervical | HPV Test | Women and other individuals at average risk for cervical cancer should be screened regularly starting at age 25. A primary HPV test (HPV test alone) on a cervical sample collected by a health care provider, every 5 years. This is the preferred option. Getting screened regularly is the most important thing, no matter which test you get. You should be screened even if you’ve received the HPV vaccine or are not sexually active. |
Risk levels for breast and colorectal cancers begin to rise during this decade.
| Cancer Type | Screening Test | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | Mammogram | Ages 40–44: Women have the choice to start annual mammograms. Discuss benefits and risks with your healthcare provider. Ages 45–49: Women should get annual mammograms. |
| Colon | Colonoscopy or Stool Test (FIT / Cologuard) | All people at average risk should start testing at age 45. There are several testing options. Talk with a health care provider about which tests are best for you and how often testing should be done. |
| Cervical | Primary HPV test or Co-test | If you’re at average risk for cervical cancer, you should be screened regularly. A primary HPV test (HPV test alone) on a cervical sample collected by a health care provider, every 5 years. This is the preferred option. Getting screened regularly is the most important thing, no matter which test you get. You should be screened even if you’ve received the HPV vaccine or are not sexually active. |
| Prostate | PSA blood test & digital rectal exam (DRE) | Starting at age 45, men at higher than average risk of prostate cancer should talk with a doctor about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of testing so they can decide if they want to be tested. This includes African American men and men with close family members (father, brother, son) who had prostate cancer before age 65. Men with more than one close relative who had prostate cancer before age 65 are at even higher risk and should talk with a doctor about testing starting at age 40. |
| Lung | Low-Dose CT (LDCT) Scan | Annually for individuals who meet certain criteria |
This is the primary age for comprehensive early-detection screenings.
| Cancer Type | Screening Test | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | Mammogram | Women ages 50 to 54 should get mammograms every year. Be sure you understand the pros and cons of breast cancer screening. Starting at age 55, you should switch to getting mammograms every 2 years, or you can continue to get one every year. It’s important to know if you are at higher than average risk for breast cancer. If you are, talk to a health care provider about whether you need to get other tests done along with your mammograms. It’s also important to know how your breasts normally look and feel and to report any changes to a health care provider right away. |
| Colon | Colonoscopy or Stool Test (FIT / Cologuard) | All people at average risk should start testing at age 45, so talk to your health care provider if you haven’t started yet. There are several testing options. Talk with a health care provider about which tests are best for you and how often testing should be done. |
| Cervical | Primary HPV test or Co-test | If you’re at average risk for cervical cancer, you should be screened regularly. A primary HPV test (HPV test alone) on a cervical sample collected by a health care provider, every 5 years. This is the preferred option. Getting screened regularly is the most important thing, no matter which test you get. You should be screened even if you’ve received the HPV vaccine or are not sexually active. |
| Prostate | PSA blood test & digital rectal exam (DRE) | Starting at age 50, all men at average risk should talk with a health care provider about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of testing so they can decide if they want to be tested. |
| Lung | Low-Dose CT (LDCT) Scan | People ages 50 to 80 should get yearly lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT (LDCT) scan if they smoke or used to smoke, and if they have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking. (A pack-year is equal to smoking 1 pack or about 20 cigarettes per day for a year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking 1 pack a day for 20 years, or by smoking 2 packs a day for 10 years.) Before deciding to be screened, people should discuss with their healthcare provider the purpose of screening, how it is done, and the benefits, limits, and possible harms of screening. People who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered resources to help them quit. |
If you are 65 or older, these screening tests for certain cancers are covered by Medicare and are recommended:
| Cancer Type | Screening Test | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | Mammogram | Women ages 50 to 54 should get mammograms every year. Be sure you understand the pros and cons of breast cancer screening. Starting at age 55, you should switch to getting mammograms every 2 years, or you can continue to get one every year. It’s important to know if you are at higher than average risk for breast cancer. If you are, talk to a health care provider about whether you need to get other tests done along with your mammograms. It’s also important to know how your breasts normally look and feel and to report any changes to a health care provider right away. |
| Colon | Colonoscopy or Stool Test (FIT / Cologuard) | Testing is recommended up through age 75. People aged 76 to 85 should talk with their health care provider about whether continuing screening is right for them. Most people older than 85 should no longer be screened. Talk with a health care provider about which tests are best for you and how often testing should be done. |
| Cervical | Primary HPV test or Co-test | If you’re at average risk for cervical cancer, you should be screened regularly. A primary HPV test (HPV test alone) on a cervical sample collected by a health care provider, every 5 years. This is the preferred option. Getting screened regularly is the most important thing, no matter which test you get. You should be screened even if you’ve received the HPV vaccine or are not sexually active. |
| Prostate | PSA blood test & digital rectal exam (DRE) | Starting at age 50, all men at average risk should talk with a health care provider about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits of testing so they can decide if they want to be tested. |
| Lung | Low-Dose CT (LDCT) Scan | People ages 50 to 80 should get yearly lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT (LDCT) scan if they smoke or used to smoke, and if they have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking. (A pack-year is equal to smoking 1 pack or about 20 cigarettes per day for a year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking 1 pack a day for 20 years, or by smoking 2 packs a day for 10 years.) Before deciding to be screened, people should discuss with their healthcare provider the purpose of screening, how it is done, and the benefits, limits, and possible harms of screening. People who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered resources to help them quit. |
ADH BreastCare Program
The Arkansas Department of Health’s BreastCare program provides free mammograms and Pap tests to eligible Arkansas residents.
Learn MoreRequest a FIT test for Colorectal Cancer
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a simple, at-home screening test that checks for early signs of colorectal cancer. You must be ages 45-75 to receive a test.