Inova Saville provides resources for its annual Cancer Screening and Health Fair

In honor of National Cancer Survivor Month, Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center held its second annual Cancer Screening and Health Fair on June 3. This event was open to anyone who had questions about cancer screening or prevention or was interested in learning more about risk factors for developing cancer. They also had educational exhibits and programs, and also physician Q&As such as with Dr. Rebecca Kaltman, a breast oncologist and executive director of the Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center.

"This health fair is all about educating the public about the importance of cancer screening and early detection," said Kaltman. "I’m thrilled to be here to share all that Inova has to offer in terms of cancer prevention. Our primary goal is to put cancer out of business."

One of the leading causes of death in the U.S. is cancer, which may be caused by a variety of factors. One may be at risk because of where they come from, family history, and environmental exposure.

In addition to genes, the environment plays a large role in lifestyle factors. The risk of cancer can be reduced by more than 40% through lifestyle changes alone, such as minimizing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and being physically active.

"In general, while cancer rates are generally improving, we see some cancer occurring at younger ages, and we think that has a lot to do with the environment and lifestyle choices," said Kaltman. "So again education is key to getting out the word about those risks."

As a community, we can also support cancer prevention efforts by being aware of our own risks and knowing when to screen for it. In addition, government agencies and cancer organizations can help by developing a clear set of consensus guidelines around cancer screening.

"The Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center is a really good resource because they help reach out and do cancer screenings, they do genetic testing, things like that," said Chelsea Throckmorton, a certified medical assistant.

To make sure each individual community is aware of the kinds of cancer they're at an increased risk for, and to do appropriate screenings for those kinds of cancer, Inova Saville has partnered with several community organizations. They provide education and screening for the underserved and those without insurance.

"If you are positive off something then they follow through with like any proper imaging, any proper blood work," said Throckmorton. "So really it's not just about once something is wrong, it's about to let's see if we can prevent anything from happening, or let's see if you have these certain genetic markers that show something could be wrong before it is wrong."

As part of this effort, they offer free cancer screenings such as mammography, FIT kits for colon cancer screening, and pap smears on weekends for women without access to cancer screening. They are grateful for the philanthropic support that enables them to do this important work.

"I’m here for gynecological health and screening and I guess what today means to me is just trying to help people realize that things that could be wrong, and things that you should look out for," said Throckmorton. "I think it's really cool to help bring awareness to just checking your body, what's normal, what's not normal because as women we’re mostly told ‘Oh yeah, everything is normal, everything fine’ so I’m here to say ‘No let's take a deeper look at things.’"

Inova Saville also offers a number of clinical trials aimed at new types of cancer screening, such as blood tests that can detect different types of cancer in the blood, and nasal swabs that can detect lung cancer earlier.

"I’m here from the Pulmonary Diagnostics department at INOVA, there are a lot of individuals who are suffering from lung diseases, cancer, and more. What we’re trying to do is put out prevention, resources, and information for those people in order to give them a better quality of life," said Brianna Davis, a respiratory therapist at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

As technology advances, artificial intelligence is another tool that is starting to be used in mammography and computed tomography of the lung to predict the risk of developing breast and lung cancer before radiologists can see it.

"Our goals at the Saville Center is to serve as a resource for the community for cancer screening and prevention, improving access to cancer screening, education, and novel research for everyone in the DMV and beyond," said Kaltman.

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