At-home screening tests are becoming more and more prevalent across all cancers, including colorectal cancer. But can sending out a stool sample really be as effective as going into your doctor’s office and having a colonoscopy? The short answer is no.
Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States … it’s expected to kill more than 50,000 Americans this year. It’s also an extremely preventable cancer. That’s why screening is so important, and not just for people who are considered high-risk. Even though the at-home colon cancer test Cologuard is 93% effective – that’s still 7% of people who will have their cancers missed. A colonoscopy is still the best tool for detecting cancer.
Read MoreThe real question here becomes, is it worth it to use a less effective test to avoid the inconvenience and awkward experience of having a colonoscopy? Because it is such a preventable disease, and a disease that has a really high survival rate if caught early, Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, says it’s worth it to just deal with the inconvenience of the colonoscopy.
“You shouldn’t die from fear and you shouldn’t die from embarrassment,” Dr. Murrell says. “Those are really the only two reasons people are dying from this disease today. If I tell you that colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer … how can I also say that it can almost be completely prevented?”
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