The Melham Clinic in Broken Bow is hosting a cancer screening event from 7:30 AM to 2 PM on Tuesday (September 15), offering eligible patients an opportunity to complete a blood based cancer screening with little or no out-of-pocket cost for many patients.
The screening, sponsored by Shield by Guardant, is available to those between their 45th and 86th birthdays and requires an order from a participating provider. Patients can call the clinic to schedule a time, although walk-ins will also be welcomed. Those who don’t have a provider in the Shield ordering system may be able to meet briefly with a Melham provider to determine whether the test is appropriate.
The test available today looks for signals associated with colorectal cancer. During the event, patients can also opt into additional screenings that look for signals associated with bladder, breast, esophageal, stomach, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
Several representing Melham Clinic discussed the event on the KCNI/KBBN Get Up & Go Breakfast Show on Monday, emphasizing that the blood draw doesn’t require fasting or other preparation and can be completed quickly.
In June, a similar event was held and deemed successful. So far, 58 tests have been completed through the promotion, with 10 producing positive indicators that required further follow up.
One of those positive results came for Joyce Richardson, who shared her experience during the morning show. She said a follow up colonoscopy after her positive result found a large growth in her colon. She subsequently underwent surgery, with 15 inches of her colon being removed. The growth was ultimately determined to be precancerous.
Richardson said the experience reinforced for her the importance of taking advantage of available screening opportunities, even when someone isn’t yet due for a traditional colonoscopy.
It was stated that the Shield test with a positive result doesn’t mean a person has cancer, but rather indicates that additional evaluation may be needed. It was also stressed that a negative result shouldn’t be considered an ‘all clear’ and doesn’t replace recommended screenings such as colonoscopies or mammograms.
View the full conversation on the Breakfast Show here:
