ABSTRACT
DEFINITION Screening may be defined as “the presumptive identification of unrecognized disease or defects by the applications of tests, examinations or other procedures which can be applied rapidly”. This definition covers screening for all health problems from color blindness to heart disease but can certainly be used for cancer and contains a number of key points of screening. In the first section of this chapter, the definition, principles, objectives and application of screening will be examined before going to subsequent sections which will explore screening for specific cancer sites.
