Checkups find some cancers early, often before any symptoms.
8 min read
Screening is how doctors find some cancers early, often before any symptoms.
Everything else in this guide is about lowering risk. Screening is different: it's the one habit here that starts with a call to your doctor's office, not a lifestyle change. The American Cancer Society updated its colorectal screening guideline on May 27, 2026, so make sure you're using the current ages.
The guidelines below are from the American Cancer Society and are for women at average risk. Other medical groups differ in some details, so ask your doctor which to follow. If you have a family history, a past abnormal result or other risk factors, your doctor may recommend something different, such as starting earlier.
Most women don't have to guess what's due: your age tells you where to start, and your doctor's office can look up when you last had each test.
Screening is for people without symptoms. If you notice a lump, unusual bleeding or blood in your stool, call your doctor now instead of waiting for a screening. No screening finds every cancer, so keep up everything else in this guide too.
40
age when women can choose to start yearly mammograms
American Cancer Society
25
age to start cervical screening
American Cancer Society
45
age to start colorectal screening
American Cancer Society
50
age yearly lung screening can start, for current or former heavy smokers
American Cancer Society
| Screening | Who and when |
|---|---|
| Breast | Ages 40 to 44: you can choose to start yearly mammograms. Ages 45 to 54: yearly. Age 55 and over: every 2 years, or you can keep going yearly. Continue while you're in good health with a life expectancy of at least 10 years. |
| Cervical | Start at 25 and continue until at least 65. Preferred: a primary HPV test done by a clinician every 5 years. Another option: a self-collected HPV test (FDA-approved devices only) every 3 years. If HPV testing alone isn't available, an HPV and Pap test together (co-testing) every 5 years, or a Pap test alone every 3 years. Screening can stop after 65 only if you've been screened regularly and your last 2 HPV tests (or last 3 Pap tests) were normal. If you're not sure of your history, ask your doctor before you stop. |
| Colorectal | Start at 45 and continue through 75 if you're in good health with a life expectancy of more than 10 years. Options are a stool test you do at home or a visual exam such as a colonoscopy. Blood-based tests are for people who decline or can't complete stool-based tests or a visual exam. They are not a first-choice option. If a stool or blood test is positive, you need a follow-up colonoscopy. Past 75, talk with your doctor. |
| Lung | A yearly low-dose CT scan for ages 50 to 80 if you smoke or used to smoke and have at least a 20 pack-year history (for example, 1 pack a day for 20 years). It doesn't matter how long ago you quit. It isn't for people whose health conditions greatly limit their life expectancy. If you still smoke, ask your doctor for help quitting. |
1. Call your doctor's office
Say: "I'd like to see what screenings are due for me. Can you look up when I last had a mammogram, a cervical screening and a colorectal screening?"
2. Ask for the right test
For cervical, ask about a primary HPV test. For colorectal, ask which options they offer and how often each is repeated.
3. Book it before you hang up
Get the date on your calendar while you're on the phone.
4. Add one question for the visit
Ask whether anything in your family history changes when you should start.
Myth
If I feel fine, I don't need to screen.
What research says
Screening is for people without symptoms. It's how some cancers are found early.
American Cancer Society
Myth
A Pap test is the only cervical screening.
What research says
A primary HPV test every 5 years is the preferred option, and a self-collected HPV test is now an option.
American Cancer Society (2020 and 2025 updates)
Myth
A colonoscopy is the only colorectal option.
What research says
Stool-based tests and visual exams (like colonoscopy) are the preferred options. A blood-based test is for people who decline or can't complete those.
American Cancer Society (2026 update)
Find out what's due
Use the age table above. If you don't know when you last had each one, ask your doctor's office to look it up.
Book the screening that's due.
Call your doctor's office and get the date on your calendar.
Put it on your calendar
Add the appointment date and a reminder two days before.
Tell one person
Tell a friend or family member you're going. It's easier to show up when someone knows.
- American Cancer Society: Breast cancer screening recommendations
- American Cancer Society: Cervical cancer screening guidelines (updated Dec 2025)
- American Cancer Society: Colorectal cancer screening guideline update (May 27, 2026)
- American Cancer Society: Lung cancer screening guideline (Nov 1, 2023)
Screening guidance last reviewed: May 27, 2026 (American Cancer Society). Recommendations vary with your personal medical history and risk factors. Talk with your healthcare professional about what's right for you.