# Colorectal Cancer Screening Gets a New Option
The American Cancer Society and other major health organizations have updated colorectal cancer screening guidelines to include a new alternative to traditional colonoscopy. This shift gives adults more choices for detecting cancer early, when treatment works best.
Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for screening. Doctors insert a long, flexible tube into the colon to look for polyps and remove them before they become cancerous. But it requires sedation, bowel preparation, and time off work.
The new option is stool DNA testing, also called multi-target stool DNA testing. This at-home test detects genetic material shed by precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer cells. Adults can collect a sample at home and mail it to a lab. No bowel prep. No sedation. No scope.
Research shows stool DNA tests catch most colorectal cancers and about 40 percent of advanced polyps. That detection rate is lower than colonoscopy, which catches more than 90 percent of advanced polyps. But experts say stool DNA screening is better than no screening at all.
The catch: stool DNA tests cost more out-of-pocket than other screening methods, though insurance coverage is expanding. Positive results still require follow-up colonoscopy.
Other screening options remain available. High-sensitivity guaiac fecal occult blood tests (gFOBT) and fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) screen for blood in stool. CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) uses imaging to look for polyps. Flexible sigmoidoscopy examines the lower colon.
For parents wondering if this affects their families: colorectal cancer usually develops in adults over 45, though rates in younger adults are rising. Starting conversations with your doctor about screening options at the right age matters.