At-home screening
There are pros and cons to different screening types. While colonoscopy is the most effective screening exam for colorectal cancer, there are screening kits you can do from the comfort of your home.
Advantages of at-home screening
- No fasting
- No bowel prep
- No sedation or anesthesia
- No need to take off time from work
Disadvantages of at-home screening
- Does not allow a doctor to actually see the inside of your colon, which is how most polyps and cancers are discovered.
- May miss tumors that bleed in a small amount or not at all
- Follow-up colonoscopy after a positive test may not be covered by insurance
- Possible false positive results
- Possible false negative results
Types of at-home screening tests
The two tests below are the most widely used at-home screening kits. Both have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are valued for their ease of use and effectiveness. Remember that not all at-home kits are covered by insurance, so you may not be able to choose which test you want.
FIT
The fecal immune test (FIT) is used to detect blood in stool that cannot be seen with the naked eye. A FIT is often used to detect bleeding in the digestive tract which has no other signs or symptoms. A FIT test may not detect blood from further up the digestive tract (such as the stomach), which means it is more specific to finding blood coming from the colon.
Stool DNA test (cologuard)
Like FIT, the stool DNA Test detects microscopic amounts of blood in stool, but also looks for certain DNA changes and mutations found in cancerous tumors or precancerous polyps. Cells from precancerous and cancerous lesions with certain mutations often shed DNA biomarkers into the stool, where this test can detect them.
Learn more
Other screening methodsTop resources
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