Getting screened for cancer could mean finding it at an earlier stage, when it's more treatable, health professionals say.

In 2008, an estimated 1,437,180 people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, and 565,650 will die of cancer, according to the National Cancer Instit-ute, a federally funded research and development center based in Bethesda, Md.

Estimates of premature cancer deaths that could have been avoided through screening vary from 3 percent to 35 percent. Beyond the potential for avoiding death, screening may reduce cancer morbidity, because treatment for earlier-stage cancers often is less aggressive than that for more advanced-stage cancers.

"The bottom line is that when cancer is detected early, it's more treatable and survival rates increase dramatically," said April Sherry, regional cancer control director of the American Cancer Society in Hollidaysburg. "People need to learn that if you identify a malignancy at an early stage, there are things that can be done to keep it from progressing to a fatal disease."

Based on what the ACS has learned from behavioral risk surveys and studies, there is a five-year relative survival rate for all types of cancer of about 81 percent, Sherry said. But if all cancer patients would undergo age-appropriate screenings, that rate would most likely increase to about 95 percent.

"You've got to think in the long term, and understand that it's worth the effort," she said. "It could save your life."

In Blair County, 2,061 males and 2,022 females were diagnosed with some form of cancer between 2000 and 2004, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health's most recent statistics. For men, the top three observed cancer cases during those years were prostate (527), lung and bronchus (347) and colon and rectum (292); for women, the top three were breast (558), lung and bronchus (263) and colon and rectum (256).

But apparently, many Pennsylvanians are still avoiding appropriate screenings, according to a recent statewide patient poll conducted by the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine, a research center that promotes healthy life practices. The institute found that 44 percent of respondents indicated they had delayed or avoided a cancer-related test/screening because they were worried about what the results would be, 31 percent said they felt the test wasn't really necessary and about 20 percent also selected concerns about time, pain or embarrassment from the test as reasons to avoid or delay.

"It's that ostrich syndrome, where patients bury their heads in the sand because they don't want to know," said Dr. Peter Lund, the institute's founder. "But often, if these disease entities are found early, there's a better chance we can find less invasive ways to treat them. If they're really thinking it's not necessary, then we certainly need to do a better job getting the proper medical information out to the public."

For those apprehensive of what they might find out, Lund, who has a private oncology practice in Erie, advises they "go to their friendly family doctor and have a truthful and open conversation."

"I think they'd be absolutely reassured that these screenings are appropriate, noninvasive and convenient," he said.

"With knowledge comes less fear and anxiety," added Dr. Kathy Selvaggi, president of the ACS Pennsylvania division, based in Hershey. "It's important to talk to your doctor about why you might be afraid (to get tested/screened). The only way for a doctor to know what you're thinking and feeling is to keep the lines of communication open."

Self-diagnosis via the Web also can lead to unwarranted anxiety, she said.

"Just because something's on the Internet, doesn't mean it's true. There's a lot of misinformation out there."

Like any test, there are small risks, such as false positive or negative test results, perforation during a colonoscopy or potential cancer production from radiation, she said. But these risks are minimal at best.

"The benefits of a screening far outweigh the risks, if you look at the data that's out there," she said. "With the major cancers (prostate, colon, skin, breast and cervical), the screening tools are so easy that the benefits far outweigh the risks. The bottom line is, there's just no question that early detection saves lives."

Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.