Free cancer screening planned at AHN's Hempfield hospital

Editor’s note: This story was amended March 19, 2021 to change the minimum age at which someone could be screened for lung cancer.

Free cancer screenings are set for April 24 at AHN Cancer Institute - Hempfield after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted non-emergency health care needs.

The neighborhood hospital on Route 30 will offer screenings for a variety of cancer types for anyone, current patient or not. Registration in advance is required.

Any adult can be screened for head, neck and skin cancers. Screenings for breast cancer will be available for those 40 to 74 years old and lung cancer for those between 55 and 80 with a history of smoking. Anyone 50 and older can be screened for colorectal cancers. Women between 21 and 65 can be screened for cervical cancer and men 40 and older can be screened for prostate cancer.

Breast and colon cancer screenings nationally were down 89% and 84.5%, respectively, in the first few months of 2020, according to the Journal of Clinical Oncology Clinical Cancer Informatics. AHN spokeswoman Stephanie Waite said that included mid-March 2020 when many health systems shut down elective procedures. Those numbers have since rebounded but the free event is a good way to catch up on any missed screening, she said.

Dr. David Bartlett, chair of the AHN Cancer Institute, said screenings are an important tool to help detect cancer early, when it may respond better to treatment. The Hempfield date is the first in a series of similar events at other AHN locations.

“In this time of the covid-19 pandemic, we are very concerned that many people have missed regular cancer screenings due to fears of contracting the virus in a health care setting,” he said.

Anyone who has an appointment during the event will be screened for the virus and officials are taking precautions to prevent the spread of it. The American Cancer Society said in July that cancer screenings have substantially declined as a result of the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises health care facilities to space out appointments, regularly disinfect equipment and surfaces and limit the number of visitors beside a patient.

To make an appointment for the April 24 screening at AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital, call 412-359-6665.