Colonoscopy vs. at-home stool test

Not all colon screening tests are effective at detecting and preventing colon cancer. A colonoscopy is the gold standard in colon cancer prevention. In fact, the American Cancer Society rates colonoscopy above all other colorectal cancer screening methods for its unmatched ability to detect and prevent colon cancer.

Educating yourself about colon cancer and screening options is the first step at preventing the disease. Compare a colonoscopy to at-home tests and talk to a doctor about the best option for you.

Why colonoscopy?

  • The only test that can detect cancers at an earlier stage and prevent colon cancer by removing pre-cancerous polyps
  • The only test that allows physicians to visualize and examine the entire colon
  • In most cases, because colonoscopy is so thorough, negative exams only need to be repeated every 10 years

What is an at-home stool test?

The at-home colon cancer test is a type of mail-in colon cancer screening that uses DNA analysis to find altered DNA associated with some colon cancers and very few polyps.

Stool-based colon cancer screening is less effective than colonoscopy, with1:

  • A 58% miss-rate for advanced adenomas
  • An 8% miss-rate for colon cancer (1 in 13 patients)
  • A 13% false positive rate

Positive results may need to be followed up with a diagnostic colonoscopy, leading to possibly more time and expense for the patient.

Negative results should be followed by a repeat test in 3 years.