Med-O-Meter

7

MedHead Message:

Screening for colon cancer for an average adult starts at age 45 years old for the US Preventative Task Force guidelines. Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is a simple at home test you can perform at a fraction of the cost of a colonoscopy. Both FIT and colonoscopy are comparable in terms of detecting actual colon cancer and advanced, pre-cancerous polyps. Most FIT tests can be done for about $20-45. Colonoscopies are over $2500. If you already have blood in your stools, other other gut problems, or you have a positive FIT test, you should undergo a colonoscopy at that point. But save yourself a lot of money (and misery with the bowel prep required by colonoscopy) by doing the FIT first.

References:

• 1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1108895. Accessed 10/15/2022.
• 2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.33682. Accessed 10/15/2022.
• 3. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening. Accessed 10/15/2022.
• 4. https://www.newchoicehealth.com/colonoscopy/cost. Accessed 10/15/2022.