New to Colorectal Cancer Screening? Start Here
Colorectal Cancer Screening: the few things that matter most, and the mistakes that catch people out early.
Tests that look for colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps in people without symptoms, including home stool tests and colonoscopy.
Key takeaways
- Recommended age range (USPSTF): 45 to 75; 76 to 85 is an individual decision
- Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): a home stool test, every year
- Most useful single change: Ask your doctor at 45 which test suits you.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming no symptoms means no need to be screened.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Why bother
Colorectal cancer found early is highly treatable, and men have historically been less likely than women to complete screening.
Start here
Begin here, with two things rather than ten.
- Ask your doctor at 45 which test suits you
- Complete and return a home kit promptly rather than putting it aside
Then add these
The next additions, when you are ready for them.
- Book the follow-up colonoscopy quickly if a stool test is abnormal
- Report symptoms separately; screening is for people without them
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Recommended age range (USPSTF) | 45 to 75; 76 to 85 is an individual decision |
| Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) | a home stool test, every year |
| Stool DNA-FIT test | every 1 to 3 years |
| Colonoscopy | every 10 years |
| Follow-up | any abnormal stool test needs a colonoscopy |
| Cost | covered without a copay by most insurance plans as a preventive service |
Common early mistakes
- Assuming no symptoms means no need to be screened
- Letting a home test lapse when the next one is due
- Ignoring symptoms because a recent screening result was normal
Related topics
- Colorectal Cancer: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Cancer Awareness)
- The Evidence on Cancer Screening Recommendations, Without the Hype (Preventive Care)
- Cervical Screening: What the Evidence Actually Says (Women's Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Cervical Screening and HPV (Sexual Health)
Where to go next
- A Q and A on Colorectal Cancer Screening
- The Short Guide to Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Colorectal Cancer Screening — the reference entry
- Men's Health: The Complete Guide
- Testicular Self-Checks: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Prostate Health: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor promptly for a change in bowel habits lasting three weeks or more, blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, ongoing abdominal pain or a lump in the abdomen, regardless of when you were last screened. A normal screening result does not rule out a problem you have symptoms of. Call 911 for heavy rectal bleeding with dizziness or fainting.
Where this comes from
- US Preventive Services Task Force — Colorectal Cancer: Screening
- CDC — Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests
- American Cancer Society — American Cancer Society Guideline for Colorectal Cancer Screening
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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