New York Times: An at-home test for colon cancer is as reliable as the traditional screening, health experts say, and more agreeable.
Most Americans who are due for a colon cancer screening will receive a postcard or a call — or prompting during a doctor’s visit — to remind them that it’s time to schedule a colonoscopy. But at big health care systems like Kaiser Permanente or the federal Veterans Health Administration, the process has changed. Patients who should be screened regularly (age 50 to 75) and who are of average risk, get a letter telling them about a home test kit arriving by mail. It’s a FIT, which stands for fecal immunochemical test....Five to 6 percent of patients will have a positive test and need to schedule a follow-up colonoscopy. But the great majority are finished with colon cancer screening for the year. READ MORE
(Source: New York Times, 01/11/2021)