Screening Options

Option 1: At-Home Stool Test

A good place to start. The FIT test checks for hidden blood in the stool — a potential symptom of colorectal cancer. A positive result of blood in the stool does not automatically signify colorectal cancer! The FIT DNA test checks for both blood and altered DNA in the stool sample.

The Process:

  1. Receive a kit from the mail or a clinic

  2. Follow instructions and collect your stool sample

  3. Submit to your health care provider’s office or mail to instructed laboratory

Good to Know:

  • No prep needed!

  • Results usually arrive in 1-2 weeks.

  • If a positive result occurs, the next step is a colonoscopy.

  • FIT (fecal immunochemical test) is done once a year; it detects blood in the stool using antibodies.

  • FIT-DNA Test is done every three years; it does what a FIT test does with the addition of testing altered DNA in the stool.

Option 2: Colonoscopy

This test is used to prevent cancer by finding and removing precancerous polyps. Often recommended for average-risk adults above 45 years old, or as a follow up exam to a positive FIT test. Like the at-home stool test, it can detect changes early, when treatment is most effective and outcomes are better.

The Process:

Day before the test:

  • Receive a referral from a healthcare professional

  • Follow instructions to prepare for the colonoscopy the day before ie. taking medication to clean out the colon

Day of the test:

  • The test takes 30-60 minutes

  • Sedation is commonly used

  • A colonoscope is inserted into the rectum, containing a small camera that captures images of the colon

  • The images are sent to an external monitor for the doctor to look over

After the test:

  • Someone will need to drive you home

  • Recovery usually takes only a day — dependent on type of sedation used/if tissue samples were removed

Good to Know:

  • Recommended for those 45 years of age

  • Follow ups every 10 years, depending on risk levels

  • Considered generally safe and painless

Works Cited

Mayo Clinic. “Colonoscopy - Mayo

Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org, Mayo Clinic,

18 May 2022,www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/colonoscopy/about/pac-20393569.

“Stool DNA Test - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org, 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stool-dna-test/about/pac-20385153.

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