Name: Screening glossary: terms explained in plain words
Creator: knowtoprevail.com editorial team

Adequate prior screening: For stopping cervical screening after 65: 3 normal Pap results in a row or 2 normal cotest results in a row, within the 10 years before stopping, with the most recent in the last 5 years. (USPSTF, 2018) When to stop screening
Average risk: No known reason to be at higher risk than most people your age. For colorectal cancer, the USPSTF means no past colorectal cancer, precancerous polyps or inflammatory bowel disease, and no inherited syndrome such as Lynch syndrome. (USPSTF, 2021) Family history: when screening starts earlier
BI-RADS: The numbered categories, 0 to 6, a radiologist uses to report a mammogram, from 0 (incomplete, more imaging needed) through 1 (negative) to 5 (highly suggestive of cancer) and 6 (cancer already shown by biopsy). (ACS, 2026) After an abnormal screening result
Colposcopy: A close look at the cervix with a lighted magnifying instrument, usually with a small biopsy of any abnormal area. It is a common next step after an abnormal Pap or positive HPV test. (NCI Dictionary)(ACOG) After an abnormal screening result
Cotest (HPV and Pap together): A Pap test and an HPV test done on the same sample. The USPSTF lists it every 5 years from 30 to 65 as one option, alongside an HPV test alone every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years. (USPSTF, 2018) Cervical cancer screening
CT colonography: A CT scan of the colon, sometimes called a virtual colonoscopy, that builds 2-D and 3-D pictures without a scope. The USPSTF lists it every 5 years; an abnormal result needs a colonoscopy. (NCI Dictionary)(USPSTF, 2021) Colorectal tests compared
DXA scan: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, a low-dose x-ray that measures bone mineral density. The USPSTF names it as the screening test for osteoporosis. (USPSTF, 2025) Osteoporosis screening
Ever smoked: For the aortic aneurysm screening, commonly defined as having smoked 100 or more cigarettes in your life. (USPSTF, 2019) Screenings if you smoke
False positive: A test result that says a disease may be present when it is not. It usually leads to more tests. (NCI Dictionary) False positives and overdiagnosis
FIT (fecal immunochemical test): A stool test that uses an antibody to find hidden blood from the lower bowel. The USPSTF lists it every year; a positive result needs a colonoscopy. (NCI Dictionary)(USPSTF, 2021) Colorectal tests compared
gFOBT (guaiac fecal occult blood test): An older stool test for hidden blood that uses a chemical reaction. The USPSTF lists the high-sensitivity version every year; it needs some food and medicine limits before the sample. (USPSTF, 2021) Colorectal tests compared
Grade A and grade B: The USPSTF recommends the service. A: high certainty that the net benefit is substantial. B: high certainty of a moderate net benefit, or moderate certainty of a moderate to substantial one. (USPSTF) USPSTF grades explained
Grade C: The USPSTF recommends offering the service selectively, based on professional judgment and the patient's preferences; at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small. (USPSTF) USPSTF grades explained
Grade D: The USPSTF recommends against the service: moderate or high certainty that it has no net benefit or that harms outweigh benefits. (USPSTF) Screening tests you may not need
HPV test: A lab test of cervical cells for the high-risk types of human papillomavirus that can cause cervical cancer. It can be used alone or with a Pap test. (NCI Dictionary)(USPSTF, 2018) Cervical cancer screening
I statement: The USPSTF finds the evidence insufficient to weigh benefits and harms, because it is lacking, of poor quality or conflicting. (USPSTF) USPSTF grades explained
Low-dose CT (LDCT): A CT scan that uses a very low dose of radiation to make detailed pictures of the lungs. It is the USPSTF lung cancer screening test, once a year for those who qualify. (NCI Dictionary)(USPSTF, 2021) Lung cancer screening
Lung-RADS: The American College of Radiology system for reporting lung screening CT scans. Categories 1 and 2 count as a negative screen; 3 and 4 count as positive and lead to an earlier scan or more tests. (ACR Lung-RADS v2022) After an abnormal screening result
Overdiagnosis: Finding a cancer through screening that would never have caused symptoms or harm. It can lead to anxiety and treatment that was not needed. (NCI Dictionary) False positives and overdiagnosis
Pack-year: A measure of smoking history: packs smoked per day times years smoked. One pack is 20 cigarettes, so a pack a day for 20 years is 20 pack-years, the threshold for lung screening. (USPSTF, 2021) Pack-year calculator
Pap test (cytology): Cells brushed from the cervix and checked under a microscope for cancer or changes that could become cancer. (NCI Dictionary)(USPSTF, 2018) Cervical cancer screening
PSA: Prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by the prostate and measured in a blood test. Levels can be raised by prostate cancer, an enlarged prostate, or infection or inflammation. (NCI Dictionary) Prostate cancer screening
Screening: Checking for a disease in people who have no symptoms, to find it early when it may be easier to treat. (NCI Dictionary) All adult screenings
Sensitivity: How well a test finds a disease in people who have it. No test is 100% sensitive; the people it misses get a false-negative result. (NCI Dictionary) False positives and overdiagnosis
Shared decision-making: You and your clinician decide together, using the evidence and what matters to you. The USPSTF calls it critical for grade C services. (USPSTF, JAMA 2022) Shared decision-making explained
Specificity: The share of people without a disease who correctly test negative. No test is 100% specific; the rest get a false-positive result. (NCI Dictionary) False positives and overdiagnosis
Stool DNA-FIT: A stool test that looks for DNA changes from cancer or polyps together with hidden blood (FIT); Cologuard is one brand. The USPSTF lists it every 1 to 3 years. (USPSTF, 2021) Colorectal tests compared

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