HOW DO I KNOW I DON'T HAVE CANCER?

I see new patients every day, and some of them ask me to be "tested to make sure I don't have cancer." The truth is, there is really no test that can do this. The problems are:
1. There are too many cancers, and one test can't evaluate for all of them.
2. Most cancers are diagnosed by complicated imaging tests and biopsies, both of which are not completely safe. So it's generally not a good idea to do these tests unless your doctor has a high suspicion that you have cancer.
3. Some of the tests for cancer, particularly CT or CAT scans, can actually cause cancer. So again, you shouldn't get one unless you really need it.
However, there are "screening tests" for cancer- these are tests that are performed on healthy people to try to detect certain cancers early. There are only a few of them, because only a few tests have been shown to save lives by providing reliable information about cancer at an early stage. All people should get cancer screening tests, starting at various ages depending on the test. Please note: IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY HISTORY of cancer, your doctor may want to start doing screening tests on you at an early age. The below applies only to people who do not have a family history of cancer. Also: FAMILY HISTORY of an illness like cancer, in most cases, means that you have a parent or sibling with the disease in question, usually at a certain age. I know it sounds complicated. For example, if your mother had breast cancer before age 50, you have a family history of breast cancer. If your aunt had breast cancer at age 70, you don't have a family history of breast cancer. You really need to talk to your doctor about your family history to know what's relevant.
CANCER SCREENING TESTS YOU SHOULD HAVE:
1. Pap smears: this may actually be the single best cancer screening test in terms of lives saved. You need to start getting this test:
-if you're a woman
-at age 19
-at an earlier age if you're sexually active (within the year of becoming sexually active)
-how often? Yearly at first, but if you have 3 normal pap smears in a row and you're monogamous, you can then change to every 2-3 years.
2. Mammograms: there is controversy over whether to start these for women at age 40 or 50. I get them every 2-3 years in women 40-50, and yearly after that. If you want to make it easy to remember, just do one at the same time every year starting at age 40. All women should get mammograms, even if no one they even remotely know has ever gotten breast cancer!
3. Colon cancer screening. There are actually 3 total tests and you need at least 2 of them at various intervals. It works like this:
-start getting colon cancer tests at age 50.
-EVERY YEAR you should do a "stool card test", which detects blood in your stool.
-HAVE YOUR FIRST COLON SCOPE AT AGE 50. This may be what's called a "flexible sigmoidoscopy," a "colonoscopy," or a "virtual colonoscopy." Ask your doctor which is right for you, but do it at age 50.
-After your first colon scope, you need to do it again every 5 to 10 years, depending on what they found on the first scope. If you have any precancerous "colon polyps," you'll need to get a scope every 5 years.
-People seem terrified of colon scopes. But the whole thing takes 20-30 minutes and you can be sedated for the procedure. It's easy to do!
FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION, that's it, believe it or not. There are other cancer screening tests, and some of them are worth doing if you have a family history of cancer. But these 3 are the only ones in wide use for the general population. Beating cancer is not easy. But as you can see, getting your cancer screening done is.