What actually happens at a cancer screening

Most people who avoid screening are not avoiding the result. They are avoiding the unknown — a room they have never been in, a procedure nobody has described to them, and the possibility of being made to feel foolish for asking.

So here is the whole thing.

Before you go

You do not need to fast, and you do not need a referral for most community screenings. Bring any identification you have. If you are taking medication, bring the packet or a photograph of it.

• It usually takes under an hour
• You can bring somebody with you
• You can stop at any point, for any reason

What the screening itself involves

A short conversation first: your age, your family history, anything you have noticed. Then the screening itself, which depends on what is being checked for. None of it requires you to be alone in a room with someone you have not met.

You are allowed to ask what someone is doing and why, at every step. A good clinician expects it.

Getting your result

Some results are the same day. Some take a week. Either way you should leave knowing when and how you will be told — if nobody tells you that, ask before you go.

A result that needs a second look is not a diagnosis. It is very often nothing. But it is always worth following up, and that is the part where having someone alongside you matters most.

If you want someone alongside you

That is what our support team is for. Write to us and we will help you work out where to go and what to expect.