Prompt:
What products and services are offered by Falco electronics?

Falco's main business activities are the design and manufacture of power magnetics, semiconductors and circuitboards. In addition the company designs and manufactures common mode chokes, current sensors, gate drives, power inductors, line transformers, THT inductors, watt hour meters, lighting systems, printed computer boards, mechanical assembly systems, and also provides plastic molding, metal stamping and electronic manufacturing, OEM design and testing services. Falco is a major supplier to international OEMs and brand name electronics manufacturers alike. Falco has regionalized branches in Los Angeles and Miami in the United States; Munich, Germany; Milan, Desenzano, and Bologna, Italy; Manila, The Philippines, Bangalore, India; Xiamen, China and Hong Kong. Falco has manufacturing plants in Mexico, China and India.

Response: Falco designs and manufactures components used by Original Equipment Manufacturers in producing consumer electronics.  Components include semiconductors, circuitboards, sensors, transformers, inductors, and meters as well as material-related components such as plastic molding and metal stamping.


Prompt: I'm 82 years old, I have a 25 pack-year smoking history and quit 15 years ago. Do I qualify for lung cancer screening?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: age 82 is outside the eligible range of 50-80.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 71. Do I need prostate cancer screening?

Response:
No — USPSTF gives a Grade D for ages 70 and older: "The USPSTF recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men 70 years and older". At this age the harms of PSA screening are judged to outweigh the benefits.

Source: USPSTF Prostate Cancer: Screening, May 2018.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm a 45-year-old and I recently tested positive for a pathogenic BRCA1 variant. When should I start breast cancer screening?

Response:
No — carrying a pathogenic BRCA1 variant puts you on a high-risk pathway that starts much earlier and uses different tests than average-risk screening.

NCCN guidance: annual screening breast MRI beginning at age 25, with mammography added beginning at age 30. The American Cancer Society differs slightly, recommending annual breast MRI and mammogram beginning at age 30.

The key differences from average-risk screening: it starts at 25 rather than 40, it's annual rather than every 2 years, and MRI is the primary tool because mammography is less sensitive in the younger, denser breast tissue this age group typically has. At 45, you are already within the window where surveillance should be underway.

Sources: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic; American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I just turned 48 with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Do I need to start colon cancer screening yet?

Response:
Yes — at 48 you are within the recommended screening range. USPSTF gives this a Grade B recommendation: "Screen adults aged 45 to 49 years for colorectal cancer".

Accepted options include colonoscopy every 10 years, annual FIT, stool DNA-FIT every 1-3 years, CT colonography every 5 years, or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years. Any of these is a valid choice; colonoscopy is the most thorough but stool-based tests are done more often and are far less invasive.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021. For context on why the threshold exists: colorectal cancer found at a localized stage has a 91.3% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 16.9% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Give me some suggestions to stop my kids from whining.

Response:
1. Explain that there are other ways to communicate.
2. Ignore your child's whining, step away if you can't.
3. Enforce discipline.


Prompt: I'm 78, I have a 21 pack-year smoking history and quit 14 years ago — Do I qualify for lung cancer screening?

Response:
Yes — you meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The recommendation is annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), repeated annual.

You meet all three requirements: age 78 falls within 50-80, your 21 pack-year history meets the 20 pack-year minimum, and you quit 14 years ago, within the 15-year cutoff.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B). For context on why the threshold exists: lung cancer found at a localized stage has a 65.5% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 10.5% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My wife is 55 with fatigue for weeks. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: fatigue for weeks is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 36 years old with a lump in the neck. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a lump in the neck is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Has the USPSTF recommendation for mammography screening changed recently?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (April 30, 2024): screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

What changed: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40 (previous version: 2016).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My father just turned 30 with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Do I need to start colon cancer screening yet?

Response:
Not yet — routine colorectal cancer screening begins at age 45 for people at average risk. At 30, you are 15 years away.

Two important caveats. First, this applies to average risk only — a family history of colorectal cancer or a hereditary syndrome such as Lynch syndrome moves the start age substantially earlier. Second, screening guidelines assume no symptoms: rectal bleeding, a persistent change in bowel habits, or unexplained weight loss warrant evaluation at any age.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm 46 years old with blood in the stool. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: blood in the stool is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My mom is 30 and my mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 62. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 40.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 62 − 10 = 52 — and since 52 is later than 40, the age-40 rule applies. This is the step that's easy to miss: subtracting 10 alone would give 52, but the guideline says whichever is *earlier*, so the answer is 40.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I just turned 36 and I have confirmed Lynch syndrome (PMS2 variant). When should I start colonoscopies and how often?

Response:
Lynch syndrome requires colonoscopy surveillance starting at age 20-25, repeated every 1-2 years — dramatically earlier and more frequent than the average-risk schedule of every 10 years starting at 45.

The full rule: begin colonoscopy surveillance at age 20-25, or 2-5 years before the earliest colorectal cancer diagnosis in the family if that was diagnosed before age 25, whichever is earlier.

Gene-specific note: surveillance may begin at age 25-30 for MSH6 and PMS2 variants, which carry lower and later-onset risk than MLH1 and MSH2. At 36, surveillance should already be underway.

Source: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal, Endometrial, and Gastric.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: My partner is 51, I have a 21 pack-year smoking history and quit 14 years ago. Do I meet the criteria for low-dose CT lung screening?

Response:
Yes — you meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The recommendation is annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), repeated annual.

You meet all three requirements: age 51 falls within 50-80, your 21 pack-year history meets the 20 pack-year minimum, and you quit 14 years ago, within the 15-year cutoff.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B). For context on why the threshold exists: lung cancer found at a localized stage has a 65.5% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 10.5% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: do I need a colonoscopy?

Response:
The main thing I need is your age, plus whether anyone in your immediate family has had colorectal cancer — that changes the answer a lot. For someone at average risk, screening starts at 45. If a parent or sibling has had it, the recommended starting age is usually earlier, sometimes much earlier. What's your age, and is there a family history?

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I just turned 45 with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Am I old enough for colorectal screening?

Response:
Yes — at 45 you are within the recommended screening range. USPSTF gives this a Grade B recommendation: "Screen adults aged 45 to 49 years for colorectal cancer".

Accepted options include colonoscopy every 10 years, annual FIT, stool DNA-FIT every 1-3 years, CT colonography every 5 years, or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years. Any of these is a valid choice; colonoscopy is the most thorough but stool-based tests are done more often and are far less invasive.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021. For context on why the threshold exists: colorectal cancer found at a localized stage has a 91.3% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 16.9% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My dad is 48 and my father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 51. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 40.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 51 − 10 = 41 — and since 41 is later than 40, the age-40 rule applies. This is the step that's easy to miss: subtracting 10 alone would give 41, but the guideline says whichever is *earlier*, so the answer is 40.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm asking for my partner, who is 33. Should I get screened for thyroid cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for thyroid cancer in asymptomatic adults."

This applies to asymptomatic adults. The reasoning: thyroid cancer is rare, there is no evidence early detection improves outcomes compared to surveillance, and overdiagnosis risks include permanent hypoparathyroidism and vocal cord paralysis from unnecessary treatment.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for thyroid cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Thyroid Cancer: Screening, May 2017 (Grade D).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt:
Where was the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships held?

The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling in 2018. They took place in the Netherlands at the Omnisport Apeldoorn from 28 February to 4 March 2018.

Response: The UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held in Omnisport Apeldoorn velodrome, in the Netherlands.


Prompt: Who created Sesame Street?

Response: Sesame Street was created by Jim Henson, Lloyd Morrisett, and Joan Ganz Cooney


Prompt: I'm a 27-year-old and I've had a sore that does not heal for 6 weeks. I'm too young for cancer screening — should I still get this looked at?

Response:
Yes — get this evaluated. A sore that does not heal lasting more than 3 weeks is a recognised red-flag duration, and you're at 6 weeks. A non-healing sore or ulcer persisting beyond 3 weeks warrants evaluation.

The important principle here: screening guidelines and symptoms are two different tracks. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. So your age relative to any screening threshold doesn't change the answer — a persistent symptom is its own reason to be seen.

Most causes of this turn out to be benign. Getting it checked is how that gets established rather than assumed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: If you could not fill a pool with water, what would you fill it with?

Response: If I could not fill a pool with water, I would fill it with; 1) feathers, 2) bubbles, 3) flour, 4) syrup, 5) sour cream, 6) planted flowers, or 7) rocks.


Prompt: I'm 54 and I have a mole that's changed in size and color and itching over the past couple of months — Should I get it checked?

Response:
Yes — any mole that is *changing* should be evaluated, and change in size and color and itching is exactly what the 'E' in the ABCDE criteria refers to.

The full criteria:
- **A — Asymmetry - one half does not match the other**
- **B — Border - irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred edges**
- **C — Color - varies from one area to another, or multiple colors in one lesion**
- **D — Diameter - larger than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser), though melanomas can be smaller**
- **E — Evolving - changing in size, shape, color, or elevation, or any new symptom such as bleeding or itching**

'Evolving' is the most important of the five, because a mole that is changing is worth attention even when it looks unremarkable on the other four. There's no age threshold for this — a changing mole warrants a look at any age.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology / American Cancer Society ABCDE criteria.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm a 43-year-old and my parent had colon cancer diagnosed at 52. When do I need my first colonoscopy?

Response:
You should begin at age 40 — not 42.

This is a common miscalculation. The rule is: start at age 40, OR 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis, whichever is EARLIER. Here, 52 − 10 = 42, but 40 comes earlier than 42, so 40 is the answer. Applying only the subtraction step would delay screening by two years.

Interval: colonoscopy every 5 years.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm asking for my partner, who is 26 with a lump in the neck. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a lump in the neck is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm asking for my husband, who is 45 and I've had persistent cough for 2 weeks. Do I need to see a doctor about this?

Response:
At 2 weeks, this is below the 3-week threshold usually used to define persistent cough as a red flag — so it's reasonable to monitor a little longer, with two conditions.

See someone sooner if it worsens, or if it comes with any of: unexplained rectal bleeding, blood in the urine (haematuria), postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, a new breast lump. Those warrant evaluation immediately regardless of duration. And if it passes 3 weeks, that's the point to get it looked at.

A cough lasting more than 3 weeks warrants evaluation, particularly in smokers or those with a smoking history.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 21 and I recently tested positive for a pathogenic BRCA2 variant — When should I start breast cancer screening?

Response:
No — carrying a pathogenic BRCA2 variant puts you on a high-risk pathway that starts much earlier and uses different tests than average-risk screening.

NCCN guidance: annual screening breast MRI beginning at age 25, with mammography added beginning at age 30. The American Cancer Society differs slightly, recommending annual breast MRI and mammogram beginning at age 30.

The key differences from average-risk screening: it starts at 25 rather than 40, it's annual rather than every 2 years, and MRI is the primary tool because mammography is less sensitive in the younger, denser breast tissue this age group typically has. At 21, you would begin MRI surveillance in 4 years.

Sources: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic; American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I just turned 65 with a parent diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 58. What cancer screenings should I be getting?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Colorectal:** Start at age 40 — that's the earlier of age 40 or 58−10=48, with colonoscopy every 5 years rather than every 10 years. At 65 you are past that point and should be in surveillance already. (American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: What is a spiral staircase?

Response: A spiral staircase is a set of stairs that circles around a central pole and allows for a steeper ascent than other stair designs.


Prompt: I'm asking for my sister, who is 38. Can I get a scan to check for pancreatic cancer before I have symptoms?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic adults."

This applies to asymptomatic adults not known to be at high risk of pancreatic cancer. The reasoning: low incidence of pancreatic cancer in the general population, lack of accurate screening tests, and significant risks from false-positive results and surgical complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for pancreatic cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Pancreatic Cancer: Screening, August 2019 (Grade D).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 70. Can I get a scan to check for pancreatic cancer before I have symptoms?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic adults."

This applies to asymptomatic adults not known to be at high risk of pancreatic cancer. The reasoning: low incidence of pancreatic cancer in the general population, lack of accurate screening tests, and significant risks from false-positive results and surgical complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for pancreatic cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Pancreatic Cancer: Screening, August 2019 (Grade D).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 37 years old. How do I check for testicular cancer early?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for testicular cancer in adolescent or adult men."

This applies to adolescent and adult men. The reasoning: testicular cancer has low incidence and a high cure rate (>90% regardless of stage at diagnosis), so screening offers minimal benefit while causing false-positive results, anxiety, and procedure complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for testicular cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Testicular Cancer: Screening, 2011 (Grade D).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm a 72-year-old with a 30 pack-year smoking history (quit 6 years ago) and a parent diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 62. Which screenings do I qualify for?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Lung:** Yes — you meet criteria. (USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B))

**Colorectal:** Start at age 40 — that's the earlier of age 40 or 62−10=52, with colonoscopy every 5 years rather than every 10 years. At 72 you are past that point and should be in surveillance already. (American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm a 79-year-old, I smoke and have about a 19 pack-year history. Am I eligible for the annual lung screening scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: a 19 pack-year history is below the 20 pack-year threshold.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: What causes ocean tides?

Response:
Tides are very long waves moving across the ocean and are caused by the gravitational forces exerted on the earth by the moon. When the highest point in the long-period wave reaches a shoreline the area experiences high tide. When the lowest point of the wave, the trough, reaches shore the area experiences low tide. The earth is mostly water and the water "points" at the moon, the parts of the Earth experiencing high tide is the water drawing towards the moon. The "pointing" water that faces the moon is formed because the gravitational pull of the moon is strongest on whichever side of the Earth faces it. Gravity pulls the ocean towards the moon and high tide occurs.

The bulge on the far side of the Earth is caused by inertia. The water moving away from the moon resists the gravitational forces that attempt to pull it in the opposite direction. Because the gravitational pull of the moon is weaker on the far side of the Earth, inertia wins, the ocean bulges out and high tide occurs. As the Earth spins, different areas of the planet face the moon, and this rotation causes the tides to cycle around the planet.


Prompt: I read that mammography screening starts later than what my doctor told me. What's the current guidance?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (April 30, 2024): screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

What changed: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40 (previous version: 2016).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 25 and I have a mole that's changed in shape and color over the past couple of months. Is this a warning sign?

Response:
Yes — any mole that is *changing* should be evaluated, and change in shape and color is exactly what the 'E' in the ABCDE criteria refers to.

The full criteria:
- **A — Asymmetry - one half does not match the other**
- **B — Border - irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred edges**
- **C — Color - varies from one area to another, or multiple colors in one lesion**
- **D — Diameter - larger than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser), though melanomas can be smaller**
- **E — Evolving - changing in size, shape, color, or elevation, or any new symptom such as bleeding or itching**

'Evolving' is the most important of the five, because a mole that is changing is worth attention even when it looks unremarkable on the other four. There's no age threshold for this — a changing mole warrants a look at any age.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology / American Cancer Society ABCDE criteria.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 44 years old and I have confirmed Lynch syndrome. How often do I need a colonoscopy?

Response:
Lynch syndrome requires colonoscopy surveillance starting at age 20-25, repeated every 1-2 years — dramatically earlier and more frequent than the average-risk schedule of every 10 years starting at 45.

The full rule: begin colonoscopy surveillance at age 20-25, or 2-5 years before the earliest colorectal cancer diagnosis in the family if that was diagnosed before age 25, whichever is earlier.

At 44, surveillance should already be underway.

Source: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal, Endometrial, and Gastric.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt:
Extract why Tim Lincecum was called "The Freak"

Timothy Leroy Lincecum (/ˈlɪnsəkʌm/ LIN-sə-kum; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "The Freak", "The Franchise", "The Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (2007 to 2015) and Los Angeles Angels (2016). A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Lincecum helped the Giants win three World Series championships from 2010 through 2014.

Response: Nicknamed "The Freak" for his ability to generate powerful pitches despite his slight physique (5 feet 11 inches, 170 pounds), the power pitcher led the National League in strikeouts for three consecutive years in a span from 2008 to 2010. He also led the league in shutouts in 2009 and won the Babe Ruth Award in 2010 as the most valuable player of the MLB postseason. Lincecum won consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first MLB pitcher to win the award in his first two full seasons. He also appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games from 2008 through 2011 and pitched no-hitters in 2013 and 2014.


Prompt: If we were playing a game where we had to identify things that can be found inside a house, which of these would we call out: car, chair, table, park, cloud, microwave.

Response: Inside a house you can find a chair, a table and a microwave. Cars, clouds and parks are found outside of houses.


Prompt: Why Paris is know as the city of light ?

Response: This is more a marketing conception of Paris, some historians think that this name came from the time where Philippe Lebon installed gas lighting on city monuments, covered passages and streets. Since then, more than 56000 street lights  make Paris the city of light


Prompt: Identify which car manufacturer is German or American: Artega, Brammo, Vaydor

Response: Brammo and Vaydor are American, Artega is German


Prompt: My partner just turned 43 with unexplained weight loss. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: unexplained weight loss is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm asking for my partner, who is 69 with a 30 pack-year smoking history (quit 6 years ago) and a parent diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 62. Which screenings do I qualify for?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Lung:** Yes — you meet criteria. (USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B))

**Colorectal:** Start at age 40 — that's the earlier of age 40 or 62−10=52, with colonoscopy every 5 years rather than every 10 years. At 69 you are past that point and should be in surveillance already. (American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: What are 6 different types of pizza toppings?

Response: Pepperoni, Sausage, Onions, Peppers, Ham, Bacon


Prompt: My aunt is 70, I have a 25 pack-year smoking history and quit 16 years ago. Should I be getting a lung CT scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: having quit 16 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 53 years old with a 30 pack-year smoking history (quit 6 years ago) and a parent diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 52. What cancer screenings should I be getting?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Lung:** Yes — you meet criteria. (USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B))

**Colorectal:** Start at age 40 — that's the earlier of age 40 or 52−10=42, with colonoscopy every 5 years rather than every 10 years. At 53 you are past that point and should be in surveillance already. (American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 79, I have a 25 pack-year smoking history and quit 20 years ago — Should I be getting a lung CT scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: having quit 20 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: How can I get better performance when querying a delta table?

Response:
To get better performance when querying a delta table, there are many things you can do.

First, ensure you are using the Photon engine.  The Photon engine is designed to handle high-concurrency and low-latency queries.  If you are using DBSQL, Photon is included free of charge and is turned on by default.

Second, you can use different indexing techniques when writing a Delta table for better read performance.  Z-ordering and bloom filters are two effective techniques when used correctly.

Third, ensure your SQL Warehouse or compute resource is appropriately sized.  If you are trying to query a very large dataset from a very small warehouse, you will likely get slow query results.


Prompt: I'm a 27-year-old and I have confirmed Lynch syndrome (MLH1 variant). What's my screening schedule?

Response:
Lynch syndrome requires colonoscopy surveillance starting at age 20-25, repeated every 1-2 years — dramatically earlier and more frequent than the average-risk schedule of every 10 years starting at 45.

The full rule: begin colonoscopy surveillance at age 20-25, or 2-5 years before the earliest colorectal cancer diagnosis in the family if that was diagnosed before age 25, whichever is earlier.

At 27, surveillance should already be underway.

Source: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal, Endometrial, and Gastric.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: do I need a colonoscopy?

Response:
The main thing I need is your age, plus whether anyone in your immediate family has had colorectal cancer — that changes the answer a lot. For someone at average risk, screening starts at 45. If a parent or sibling has had it, the recommended starting age is usually earlier, sometimes much earlier. What's your age, and is there a family history?

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 22 years old with blood in the stool. Do I have cancer?

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: blood in the stool is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 80, I have a 18 pack-year smoking history and quit 17 years ago. Am I eligible for the annual lung screening scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: a 18 pack-year history is below the 20 pack-year threshold.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. Also: having quit 17 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Identify which animal species is alive or extinct: Palaeophis, Giant Tortoise

Response: Giant Tortoise is alive, Palaeophis is extinct.


Prompt: What's the current USPSTF recommendation for mammography screening, and did it change?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (April 30, 2024): screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

What changed: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40 (previous version: 2016).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Write a haiku about how much I love pickles.

Response:
Caressed by sweet brine,
you are crispy and crunchy.
Oh, won’t you be mine?


Prompt: I'm 72 years old with a 22 pack-year smoking history (quit 6 years ago) and a parent diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 62. What cancer screenings should I be getting?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Lung:** Yes — you meet criteria. (USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B))

**Colorectal:** Start at age 40 — that's the earlier of age 40 or 62−10=52, with colonoscopy every 5 years rather than every 10 years. At 72 you are past that point and should be in surveillance already. (American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 33 years old. How do I check for testicular cancer early?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for testicular cancer in adolescent or adult men."

This applies to adolescent and adult men. The reasoning: testicular cancer has low incidence and a high cure rate (>90% regardless of stage at diagnosis), so screening offers minimal benefit while causing false-positive results, anxiety, and procedure complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for testicular cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Testicular Cancer: Screening, 2011 (Grade D).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt:
Classify the cities based on whether they are located in Namibia or Lithuania.
Klaipėda, Oshakati, Kaunas, Windhoek, Vilnius, Rundu

Response:
Namibia - Windhoek, Rundu, Oshakati
Lithuania - Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda


Prompt: My friend said the age for mammography screening is different now — is that right?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (April 30, 2024): screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

What changed: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40 (previous version: 2016).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 49, I have a 25 pack-year smoking history and quit 10 years ago. Is lung cancer screening recommended for someone like me?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: age 49 is outside the eligible range of 50-80.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt:
From the passage mention the different verticals in which SoftBank Group Corp. invests in. Display the results in comma separated format.

SoftBank Group Corp. (ソフトバンクグループ株式会社, SofutoBanku Gurūpu Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology that offer goods and services to customers in a multitude of markets and industries ranging from the internet to automation. With over $100 billion in capital at its onset, SoftBank’s Vision Fund is the world's largest technology-focused venture capital fund. Fund investors included sovereign wealth funds from countries in the Middle East.The company is known for the leadership of its controversial founder and largest shareholder Masayoshi Son. Its investee companies, subsidiaries and divisions, including several unprofitable unicorns, operate in robotics, artificial intelligence, logistics, transportation, proptech, real estate, hospitality, broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-commerce, information technology, finance, media and marketing, and other areas. Among its biggest and most internationally recognizable current stockholdings are sizeable stakes in Arm (semiconductors), Alibaba (e-commerce), OYO Rooms (hospitality), WeWork (coworking) and Deutsche Telekom (telecommunications). SoftBank Corporation, its spun-out affiliate and former flagship business, is the third-largest wireless carrier in Japan, with 45.621 million subscribers as of March 2021.SoftBank was ranked in the 2017 Forbes Global 2000 list as the 36th largest public company in the world and the second-largest publicly traded company in Japan after Toyota.The logo of SoftBank is based on the flag of the Kaientai, a naval trading company founded in 1865, near the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, by Sakamoto Ryōma.Although SoftBank does not affiliate itself to any traditional keiretsu, it has close ties with Mizuho Financial Group, its primary lender.

Response: robotics, artificial intelligence, logistics, transportation, proptech, real estate, hospitality, broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-commerce, information technology, finance, media and marketing


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 31 and my sister was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 43. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 33.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 43 − 10 = 33 — and since 33 is earlier than 40, the 10-years-before rule applies, giving 33.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I just turned 47 with a 35 pack-year smoking history (quit 6 years ago). What cancer screenings should I be getting?

Response:
Several guidelines apply here, and they need to be handled separately rather than as one answer:

**Lung:** No — age 47 is outside the eligible range of 50-80. (USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B))

**Colorectal:** Yes — Grade B at 47. (USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021)

Each screening has its own criteria — qualifying for one says nothing about the others.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 51 and I have a mole that's changed in bleeding over the past couple of months — Should I get it checked?

Response:
Yes — any mole that is *changing* should be evaluated, and change in bleeding is exactly what the 'E' in the ABCDE criteria refers to.

The full criteria:
- **A — Asymmetry - one half does not match the other**
- **B — Border - irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred edges**
- **C — Color - varies from one area to another, or multiple colors in one lesion**
- **D — Diameter - larger than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser), though melanomas can be smaller**
- **E — Evolving - changing in size, shape, color, or elevation, or any new symptom such as bleeding or itching**

'Evolving' is the most important of the five, because a mole that is changing is worth attention even when it looks unremarkable on the other four. There's no age threshold for this — a changing mole warrants a look at any age.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology / American Cancer Society ABCDE criteria.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My husband is 28 and I've noticed a new breast lump. I'm below the screening age — should I still get checked?

Response:
Get this evaluated promptly — and your age doesn't change that.

A new breast lump is on the list of symptoms that warrant evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility.

Being below the screening-age threshold is not a reason to wait: screening is designed for people with *no* symptoms, to catch disease before it announces itself. Once there's a symptom, you're in a different pathway — diagnostic evaluation, not screening — and that has no minimum age.

This is very often something benign. Evaluation is how that gets confirmed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 33 years old. Should I get screened for ovarian cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women."

This applies to asymptomatic women not known to have a high-risk hereditary cancer syndrome. The reasoning: available screening methods (transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 testing) do not reduce ovarian cancer mortality and produce substantial harms through false-positive results leading to unnecessary surgery.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for ovarian cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Ovarian Cancer: Screening, February 2018 (Grade D).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: My friend said the age for mammography screening is different now — is that right?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (April 30, 2024): screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

What changed: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40 (previous version: 2016).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 34 and I recently tested positive for a pathogenic BRCA2 variant — Do I start mammograms at 40 like everyone else?

Response:
No — carrying a pathogenic BRCA2 variant puts you on a high-risk pathway that starts much earlier and uses different tests than average-risk screening.

NCCN guidance: annual screening breast MRI beginning at age 25, with mammography added beginning at age 30. The American Cancer Society differs slightly, recommending annual breast MRI and mammogram beginning at age 30.

The key differences from average-risk screening: it starts at 25 rather than 40, it's annual rather than every 2 years, and MRI is the primary tool because mammography is less sensitive in the younger, denser breast tissue this age group typically has. At 34, you are already within the window where surveillance should be underway.

Sources: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic; American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: How do I find my Tesla charging station?

Response: Access charge settings by touching Controls > Charging when Tesla is in Park. You can also touch the battery icon on the touchscreen to access charge settings.


Prompt: I'm asking for my aunt, who is 60, I have a 40 pack-year smoking history and quit 5 years ago. Am I eligible for the annual lung screening scan?

Response:
Yes — you meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The recommendation is annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), repeated annual.

You meet all three requirements: age 60 falls within 50-80, your 40 pack-year history meets the 20 pack-year minimum, and you quit 5 years ago, within the 15-year cutoff.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B). For context on why the threshold exists: lung cancer found at a localized stage has a 65.5% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 10.5% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Why is the most of the world's land is north of the equator?

Response: It just happened to be the way at the moment. Believe it or not, the earth's continents are slowly moving. Around 300 million years ago, our planet had one big mass of land called Pangaea. It was mainly south of the equator. In another 200 million years, things will look different again.


Prompt: I'm a 64-year-old with a lump in the neck. Is this definitely nothing? I'd rather not go to the doctor.

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a lump in the neck is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 79, I have a 40 pack-year smoking history and quit 20 years ago. Do I meet the criteria for low-dose CT lung screening?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: having quit 20 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My uncle just turned 48, I smoke and have about a 20 pack-year history. Am I eligible for the annual lung screening scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: age 48 is outside the eligible range of 50-80.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 51, I have a 19 pack-year smoking history and quit 16 years ago. Should I be getting a lung CT scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: a 19 pack-year history is below the 20 pack-year threshold.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. Also: having quit 16 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Let’s solve the following math problem. Each rabbit has 4 feets and each duck has 2 feets. If there are in total 25 heads and 88 feets, how many rabbits and how many ducks are there?

Response:
Let’s use equations to solve it!
Let the number of ducks be X and the number of rabbits be Y.
We have X + Y = 25 and 2X + 4Y = 88.
Simplifying the first equation, we get Y = 25 - X
Substitute that in the second equation, we will get 2X + 4(25-X) = 88,
Thus 100 - 2X = 88
Which means 2X = 100 – 88 = 12, thus X = 6.
We substitute back into the first equation, we have Y = 25 - 6 = 19.
There are 6 ducks and 19 rabbits!


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 34 and I recently tested positive for a pathogenic BRCA1 variant. What screening do I need and when?

Response:
No — carrying a pathogenic BRCA1 variant puts you on a high-risk pathway that starts much earlier and uses different tests than average-risk screening.

NCCN guidance: annual screening breast MRI beginning at age 25, with mammography added beginning at age 30. The American Cancer Society differs slightly, recommending annual breast MRI and mammogram beginning at age 30.

The key differences from average-risk screening: it starts at 25 rather than 40, it's annual rather than every 2 years, and MRI is the primary tool because mammography is less sensitive in the younger, denser breast tissue this age group typically has. At 34, you are already within the window where surveillance should be underway.

Sources: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic; American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My mother just turned 40 with no family history of breast cancer. Should I be getting mammograms?

Response:
Yes — at 40 you're within the recommended range. Current USPSTF guidance is screening mammography (digital mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis) every 2 years (biennial) for ages 40-74, Grade B.

This is a recent change worth knowing: the 2016 version recommended individualized decision-making for ages 40-49 and biennial screening starting at 50; the 2024 update recommends all average-risk women begin biennial screening at 40.

Source: USPSTF Breast Cancer: Screening, April 2024 (Grade B). For context on why the threshold exists: breast cancer found at a localized stage has a 100.0% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 33.8% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm asking for my father, who is 38 with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Am I old enough for colorectal screening?

Response:
Not yet — routine colorectal cancer screening begins at age 45 for people at average risk. At 38, you are 7 years away.

Two important caveats. First, this applies to average risk only — a family history of colorectal cancer or a hereditary syndrome such as Lynch syndrome moves the start age substantially earlier. Second, screening guidelines assume no symptoms: rectal bleeding, a persistent change in bowel habits, or unexplained weight loss warrant evaluation at any age.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm a 40-year-old and my sister was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 65. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 40.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 65 − 10 = 55 — and since 55 is later than 40, the age-40 rule applies. This is the step that's easy to miss: subtracting 10 alone would give 55, but the guideline says whichever is *earlier*, so the answer is 40.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: My sister is 23 and I've noticed coughing up blood (haemoptysis). Do I need to see someone about this?

Response:
Get this evaluated promptly — and your age doesn't change that.

Coughing up blood (haemoptysis) is on the list of symptoms that warrant evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility.

Being below the screening-age threshold is not a reason to wait: screening is designed for people with *no* symptoms, to catch disease before it announces itself. Once there's a symptom, you're in a different pathway — diagnostic evaluation, not screening — and that has no minimum age.

This is very often something benign. Evaluation is how that gets confirmed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm a 23-year-old with a breast lump. What are the odds this is cancer?

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a breast lump is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm a 41-year-old and I've noticed blood in the urine (haematuria). Is this urgent or can it wait?

Response:
Get this evaluated promptly — and your age doesn't change that.

Blood in the urine (haematuria) is on the list of symptoms that warrant evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility.

Being below the screening-age threshold is not a reason to wait: screening is designed for people with *no* symptoms, to catch disease before it announces itself. Once there's a symptom, you're in a different pathway — diagnostic evaluation, not screening — and that has no minimum age.

This is very often something benign. Evaluation is how that gets confirmed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt:
Who is Shoji Hashimoto?

Shoji Hashimoto (橋本 昌二, Hashimoto Shōji, April 18, 1935 – December 2, 2009) was a professional Go player.

Response:
Shoji Hashimoto (橋本 昌二, Hashimoto Shōji, April 18, 1935 – December 2, 2009) was a professional Go player.
Hashimoto turned pro in 1947 when he was just 12. It took him only 11 years to reach 9p. He learned Go from his father Hashimoto Kunisaburō and his disciples include Takahara Shūji, Moriyama Naoki, Oda Hiromitsu, Okahashi Hirotada, and Hayashi Kōzō. He was a member of the Kansai Ki-in.


Prompt: What are some ways in which I can use a pen for other than writing?

Response:
Here are some ways in which you could use a pen for anything other than writing:

- you could use it to punch holes into bubble wrap
- you could use it as a weapon
- you could use a hollow pen as a straw
- you could use it as a cover for pointed objects
- you could use it for practicing pen spinning
- you could use the nib as a tooth pick
- you could use the nib to open the sim card tray on your phone


Prompt: I just turned 29 and I've noticed unexplained weight loss. Is this urgent or can it wait?

Response:
Get this evaluated promptly — and your age doesn't change that.

Unexplained weight loss is on the list of symptoms that warrant evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility.

Being below the screening-age threshold is not a reason to wait: screening is designed for people with *no* symptoms, to catch disease before it announces itself. Once there's a symptom, you're in a different pathway — diagnostic evaluation, not screening — and that has no minimum age.

This is very often something benign. Evaluation is how that gets confirmed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm asking for my sister, who is 25. Am I due for cervical screening?

Response:
Yes — at 25 you're in the Grade A screening range. Recommended: cervical cytology (Pap test) alone, every 3 years.

Source: USPSTF Cervical Cancer: Screening, August 2018.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Categorize each of the following instruments as either string or keyboard: Guitar, Violin, piano, harmonium, cello, accordion, banjo

Response:
Guitar - String
Violin - String
piano - keyboard
harmonium - keyboard
cello - string
accordion - keyboard
banjo - string


Prompt: I'm 43 years old and my parent was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 50. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 40.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 50 − 10 = 40 — both give 40.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 50 — Is it time to check my prostate?

Response:
Routine PSA screening isn't recommended at 50 for average-risk men. USPSTF guidance addresses ages 55-69 as an individual decision.

Family history matters here — a father or brother with prostate cancer, or African American ancestry, are both reasons to start the conversation earlier.

Source: USPSTF Prostate Cancer: Screening, May 2018.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt:
What are the primary uses of horses according to the text?

Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits as well as in working activities such as police work, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water, and shelter as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers.

Response: Horses can be used for recreational activities and therapy as well as working activities like police work or agriculture. Historically horses were also used in warfare. Horses can also provide products like meat, milk, hide, hair, bone or pharmaceuticals.


Prompt: I'm asking for my aunt, who is 46. How do I check for ovarian cancer early?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women."

This applies to asymptomatic women not known to have a high-risk hereditary cancer syndrome. The reasoning: available screening methods (transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 testing) do not reduce ovarian cancer mortality and produce substantial harms through false-positive results leading to unnecessary surgery.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for ovarian cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Ovarian Cancer: Screening, February 2018 (Grade D).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm a 28-year-old. What's the screening test for ovarian cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women."

This applies to asymptomatic women not known to have a high-risk hereditary cancer syndrome. The reasoning: available screening methods (transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 testing) do not reduce ovarian cancer mortality and produce substantial harms through false-positive results leading to unnecessary surgery.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for ovarian cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Ovarian Cancer: Screening, February 2018 (Grade D).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 43 and my parent had colon cancer diagnosed at 52. What age should I start screening?

Response:
You should begin at age 40 — not 42.

This is a common miscalculation. The rule is: start at age 40, OR 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis, whichever is EARLIER. Here, 52 − 10 = 42, but 40 comes earlier than 42, so 40 is the answer. Applying only the subtraction step would delay screening by two years.

Interval: colonoscopy every 5 years.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I just turned 35. How do I check for ovarian cancer early?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women."

This applies to asymptomatic women not known to have a high-risk hereditary cancer syndrome. The reasoning: available screening methods (transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 testing) do not reduce ovarian cancer mortality and produce substantial harms through false-positive results leading to unnecessary surgery.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for ovarian cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Ovarian Cancer: Screening, February 2018 (Grade D).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: What's the current USPSTF recommendation for lung cancer screening, and did it change?

Response:
Yes, it changed — and outdated versions are still widely repeated, so this is worth getting right.

Current guidance (2021): annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for ages 50-80 with at least 20 pack-years, currently smoking or quit within 15 years, Grade B.

What changed: starting age lowered from 55 to 50; pack-year threshold lowered from 30 to 20 (previous version: 2013).

If you've seen the older numbers cited recently, that's why — the superseded guidance is still in circulation.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 29. Should I get screened for testicular cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for testicular cancer in adolescent or adult men."

This applies to adolescent and adult men. The reasoning: testicular cancer has low incidence and a high cure rate (>90% regardless of stage at diagnosis), so screening offers minimal benefit while causing false-positive results, anxiety, and procedure complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for testicular cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Testicular Cancer: Screening, 2011 (Grade D).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm asking for my mom, who is 80, I have a 20 pack-year smoking history and quit 16 years ago. Is lung cancer screening recommended for someone like me?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: having quit 16 years ago exceeds the 15-year since-quitting cutoff.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm a 51-year-old, I have a 19 pack-year smoking history and quit 15 years ago. Should I be getting a lung CT scan?

Response:
No — you do not currently meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The reason: a 19 pack-year history is below the 20 pack-year threshold.

The full criteria are: ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or having quit within 15 years. You meet the other requirements. Not meeting screening criteria is not the same as having no risk — if you have symptoms such as a persistent cough, coughing up blood, or unexplained weight loss, see a clinician regardless of screening eligibility.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I just turned 40. Should I get screened for testicular cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for testicular cancer in adolescent or adult men."

This applies to adolescent and adult men. The reasoning: testicular cancer has low incidence and a high cure rate (>90% regardless of stage at diagnosis), so screening offers minimal benefit while causing false-positive results, anxiety, and procedure complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for testicular cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Testicular Cancer: Screening, 2011 (Grade D).

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm 34 years old. Is there a test I should get for thyroid cancer?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for thyroid cancer in asymptomatic adults."

This applies to asymptomatic adults. The reasoning: thyroid cancer is rare, there is no evidence early detection improves outcomes compared to surveillance, and overdiagnosis risks include permanent hypoparathyroidism and vocal cord paralysis from unnecessary treatment.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for thyroid cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Thyroid Cancer: Screening, May 2017 (Grade D).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My wife is 35 and my sister was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 40. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 30.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 40 − 10 = 30 — and since 30 is earlier than 40, the 10-years-before rule applies, giving 30.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: I'm a 42-year-old with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Am I due for colorectal cancer screening?

Response:
Not yet — routine colorectal cancer screening begins at age 45 for people at average risk. At 42, you are 3 years away.

Two important caveats. First, this applies to average risk only — a family history of colorectal cancer or a hereditary syndrome such as Lynch syndrome moves the start age substantially earlier. Second, screening guidelines assume no symptoms: rectal bleeding, a persistent change in bowel habits, or unexplained weight loss warrant evaluation at any age.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This is general screening-guideline information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice — confirm with a clinician.


Prompt: Who is Linda Hargreaves

Response: Linda Hargreaves is a British actress who has appeared on both stage and screen. She made her television debut in the BBC soap opera Doctors and has since returned to the soap on three separate occasions in different roles, most recently in the recurring role of Constance Buchanan. She has also appeared in various television series including Containment and Call the Midwife.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 51, I have a 25 pack-year smoking history and quit 5 years ago. Do I meet the criteria for low-dose CT lung screening?

Response:
Yes — you meet the USPSTF criteria for lung cancer screening. The recommendation is annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), repeated annual.

You meet all three requirements: age 51 falls within 50-80, your 25 pack-year history meets the 20 pack-year minimum, and you quit 5 years ago, within the 15-year cutoff.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B). For context on why the threshold exists: lung cancer found at a localized stage has a 65.5% 5-year relative survival rate, versus 10.5% once it has spread to distant sites (SEER 21 (excluding Illinois), 2016-2022, all races, both sexes, SEER Combined Summary Stage).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 26 with a mole that has changed. Can you just tell me it's fine so I don't have to get it checked?

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a mole that has changed is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: My mom is 32 and I've noticed unexplained rectal bleeding. I'm below the screening age — should I still get checked?

Response:
Get this evaluated promptly — and your age doesn't change that.

Unexplained rectal bleeding is on the list of symptoms that warrant evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility. Screening guidelines apply to people WITHOUT symptoms. A person with a red-flag symptom needs diagnostic evaluation regardless of age or screening eligibility.

Being below the screening-age threshold is not a reason to wait: screening is designed for people with *no* symptoms, to catch disease before it announces itself. Once there's a symptom, you're in a different pathway — diagnostic evaluation, not screening — and that has no minimum age.

This is very often something benign. Evaluation is how that gets confirmed.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: What are some unique curtain tie backs that you can make yourself?

Response: There are many items you can use to make a curtain tie back. Some ideas for this include a chain, a circle and pin, jute rope, wooden beaded rope, a necklack or bracelet, a door knob, a length of a leather belt, macrame rope, or a string of artificial flowers.


Prompt: Quick question: I'm 78 with no family history of cancer and no symptoms. Is it time for me to get screened for colon cancer?

Response:
At 78, screening is a Grade C recommendation — meaning it should be offered selectively rather than routinely. USPSTF guidance: "Selectively offer screening, taking into consideration the patient's overall health, prior screening history, and preferences".

In practice this is an individual decision based on your overall health, how much prior screening you've had, and your preferences.

Source: USPSTF Colorectal Cancer: Screening, May 2021.

This is guideline information for education, not a diagnosis. Discuss your specific situation with a healthcare provider.


Prompt: I'm 42 and I recently tested positive for a pathogenic BRCA1 variant — What screening do I need and when?

Response:
No — carrying a pathogenic BRCA1 variant puts you on a high-risk pathway that starts much earlier and uses different tests than average-risk screening.

NCCN guidance: annual screening breast MRI beginning at age 25, with mammography added beginning at age 30. The American Cancer Society differs slightly, recommending annual breast MRI and mammogram beginning at age 30.

The key differences from average-risk screening: it starts at 25 rather than 40, it's annual rather than every 2 years, and MRI is the primary tool because mammography is less sensitive in the younger, denser breast tissue this age group typically has. At 42, you are already within the window where surveillance should be underway.

Sources: NCCN Guidelines, Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic; American Cancer Society recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: Tell me whether these are names of soft drinks or coffee: Starbucks, Peet's, Blue Bottle, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Canada Dry, Pepsi

Response:
Starbucks is a brand of coffee
Peet's is a brand of coffee
Blue Bottle is a brand of coffee
Coca-Cola is a soft drink
Sprite is a soft drink
Canada Dry is a soft drink
Pepsi is a soft drink


Prompt: My dad is 41 and my sister was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 42. When should I start getting screened?

Response:
You should begin colonoscopy screening at age 32.

The rule has two parts and you take whichever comes first: age 40, or 10 years before the youngest affected relative's diagnosis. Here that's 40, or 42 − 10 = 32 — and since 32 is earlier than 40, the 10-years-before rule applies, giving 32.

The recommended interval in this situation is colonoscopy every 5 years, more frequent than the every-10-years used for average risk. Note that the 10-years-before component is a conditional recommendation based on very low quality evidence.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline: Colorectal Cancer Screening 2021.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: hey should I get checked for lung cancer??

Response:
I can give you a real answer, but I'm missing the details that determine it — lung cancer screening eligibility depends on three things: your age, your smoking history in pack-years, and how recently you quit (if you have). The USPSTF criteria are ages 50-80, at least 20 pack-years, and currently smoking or quit within 15 years. Tell me those three things and I can give you a direct yes or no.

Source: USPSTF Lung Cancer: Screening, 2021 (Grade B).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 56 years old with a persistent headache. Based on this, is it cancer?

Response:
I can't tell you that, and I want to be straight about why rather than just deflecting.

Whether something is cancer cannot be determined from a description — it takes examination, usually imaging, and often a biopsy. Any answer I gave you would be a guess dressed up as information, and a reassuring guess is the more dangerous of the two, because it's the one that stops someone from going.

What I can tell you: a persistent headache is worth having evaluated. Most causes turn out to be benign — that's genuinely the likeliest outcome — but 'likely benign' is a reason to confirm, not a reason to skip it.

What I can help with instead: what the screening guidelines say for your age and risk factors, what the recognised red-flag symptoms are, and what to expect from an evaluation.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm asking for my partner, who is 25. Can I get a scan to check for testicular cancer before I have symptoms?

Response:
There isn't one to recommend — USPSTF gives this a Grade D: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for testicular cancer in adolescent or adult men."

This applies to adolescent and adult men. The reasoning: testicular cancer has low incidence and a high cure rate (>90% regardless of stage at diagnosis), so screening offers minimal benefit while causing false-positive results, anxiety, and procedure complications.

This is a case where 'is there a test' and 'should I get the test' have different answers — screening tests for testicular cancer exist, but for people without symptoms or a known high-risk syndrome, the guideline concludes the harms (false positives, unnecessary procedures) outweigh the benefit. If you have symptoms or a relevant family history, that changes the calculus — mention that to a clinician rather than seeking screening on your own.

Source: USPSTF Testicular Cancer: Screening, 2011 (Grade D).

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.


Prompt: I'm 35 and I've had a sore that does not heal for 1 week — Do I need to see a doctor about this?

Response:
At 1 week, this is below the 3-week threshold usually used to define a sore that does not heal as a red flag — so it's reasonable to monitor a little longer, with two conditions.

See someone sooner if it worsens, or if it comes with any of: unexplained rectal bleeding, blood in the urine (haematuria), postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, a new breast lump. Those warrant evaluation immediately regardless of duration. And if it passes 3 weeks, that's the point to get it looked at.

A non-healing sore or ulcer persisting beyond 3 weeks warrants evaluation.

Source: American Cancer Society CAUTION warning signs of cancer.

This describes population-level screening guidance, not individual medical advice. A clinician should confirm what applies to you.