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Plan together. Prevent Together. 

Colon Cancer Screening Guidelines & Options

Fewer than two-thirds of the 100 million people eligible for colorectal cancer screening are up to date on their screening.1,2 Engaging your patients in shared decision making about colon cancer screening can significantly increase the odds that they follow through with testing.3,4

 

Learn more about the reasons patients delay colon cancer screening and the steps you can take to improve screening rates in your community.

See barriers to screening

Learn how Labcorp ColoFITTM can help

Help patients make a plan

Start a proactive program

Gaps in patient colon cancer screening education

Patient misconceptions and misunderstandings about colon cancer screening are among the leading drivers of nonadherence to screening recommendations. In fact, the two most important barriers to colon cancer screening—lack of knowledge that screening is needed and lack of counseling from a healthcare provider about screening—are within your power to change. 5

Reasons patients may not get screened for colon cancer

The reasons patients do not get screened for colon cancer vary based on the screening test. Use the interactive table below to see results from a survey of patients with out-of-date screening or no screening test in their medical history. 5

  • Top 5 barriers common to all colon cancer screening modalities5

    It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer because…

    1. My healthcare provider has never suggested I get this test
    2. I didn’t know if I should have this test
    3. This test costs too much
    4. I don’t need this test because I feel fine
    5. This test is too embarrassing
       

  • Top 5 barriers to fecal-based testing

    It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer with a fecal-based test because…

    1. My healthcare provider has never suggested I get this test
    2. I did not know if I should have this test
    3. I do not want to handle my stool
    4. I do not need this test because I feel fine
    5. I do not want to keep my stools on a card in the house
       

  • Top 5 barriers to colonoscopy

    It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer with colonoscopy because…

    1. I do not want to do the preparation (prep) and take laxatives 
    2. I do not want a tube inserted in my rectum
    3. I do not want to have anesthesia or be “put under.”
    4. I am worried that the test is uncomfortable or painful
    5. I might get injured by this test
       

Top 5 barriers common to all colon cancer screening modalities5

It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer because…

  1. My healthcare provider has never suggested I get this test
  2. I didn’t know if I should have this test
  3. This test costs too much
  4. I don’t need this test because I feel fine
  5. This test is too embarrassing
     

Top 5 barriers to fecal-based testing

It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer with a fecal-based test because…

  1. My healthcare provider has never suggested I get this test
  2. I did not know if I should have this test
  3. I do not want to handle my stool
  4. I do not need this test because I feel fine
  5. I do not want to keep my stools on a card in the house
     

Top 5 barriers to colonoscopy

It would be difficult to get screened for colon cancer with colonoscopy because…

  1. I do not want to do the preparation (prep) and take laxatives 
  2. I do not want a tube inserted in my rectum
  3. I do not want to have anesthesia or be “put under.”
  4. I am worried that the test is uncomfortable or painful
  5. I might get injured by this test
     

Lack of awareness is the main obstacle patients face to using stool-based colon cancer screening6

Unlike colonoscopy—where barriers to getting tested are primarily related to the procedure itself—healthcare providers have the opportunity to overcome the top barriers to fecal-based testing simply by educating patients about the tests and correcting misconceptions about risk factors. 5,6

Furthermore, studies show that counseling patients about options beyond colonoscopy is a predictor of adherence to screening recommendations.4 As many as half of patients referred for colonoscopy never follow through with the procedure, and 60% of those who did not follow through were unaware of any alternative screening methods.7,8 This underscores the importance of presenting fecal-based testing along with colonoscopy in your conversations about colon cancer screening.

Watch our colorectal cancer webinar

Hear subject matter experts Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, and Erin Peterson from the Colon Cancer Coalition address how to capture patient compliance for colorectal cancer screenings, gain early detection and improve patient outcomes.

Guidelines recommend ColoFIT on par with colonoscopy for patients at average risk of developing colon cancer

The latest data show that annual FIT screening is another quality option for average risk patients in addition to colonoscopy and is a first tier screening approach recommended by9-11 : 

  • Multi-Society Task Force (MSTF) Guidelines
  • American Cancer Society (ACS)
  • US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

Adopting ColoFIT screening in your practice can help increase patient adherence to colon cancer screening recommendations. Not only does annual ColoFIT improve screening rates, it has also been shown to save lives.12

In a large, community-based population, colon cancer screening rates increased from 39% to 83% after implementing organized colon cancer screening with ColoFIT. 13

The age-adjusted incidence of colon cancer mortality decreased by 52.4% (from 30.9 per 100,000 to 14.7 per 100,000) after implementing organized annual screening with ColoFIT. 13

Consider Labcorp ColoFITTM for your patients 45 and older at average risk for colon cancer

The ACS recommends annual ColoFIT testing in adults age 45 and older with average risk for colon cancer. For these patients (i.e., no significant family history of colon cancer or Lynch syndrome, no personal history of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or other risk factors, such as a history of cancer treated with abdominal radiation), the Labcorp ColoFIT kit from Labcorp is a convenient and discreet at-home testing option. 9,14

Labcorp ColoFIT provides patients with everything they need to complete the test at home and mail it back to Labcorp. 14

ColoFIT is easy for patients to use. 

  • No special preparation is required before taking the ColoFITTM sample 14
  • Only one stool sample from one bowel movement is required 14
  • Only a small amount of stool (0.01 gram) is necessary to perform the test 15
  • Patients can use the specially designed probe included with the ColoFITTM to collect the specimen with no direct contact with their stool 14

Log in to Labcorp Link to order Labcorp ColoFIT kits.

Order ColoFIT kits

Help your patients leave with a plan for colon cancer screening

Healthcare providers counseling patients about colon cancer screening may underestimate the influence they have on patients’ decisions to follow through with testing.

By working with your patients to make a plan for colon cancer screening, it’s possible to significantly increase the odds that a patient gets screened.3 In fact, simply extending the conversation about colon cancer screening options by an average of 45 seconds increases the odds that patients leave the office visit with a definitive plan for screening (from 51.2 seconds to 95.5 seconds).16

Access the colon cancer discussion guide

You can use this guide from Labcorp to support your conversations about colon cancer with your patients.

Access the guide

Studies reveal opportunities to improve the critical conversations between HCPs and their patients about colon cancer screening

~3x

One study showed that HCPs overestimate by about three times how frequently they have screening discussions with patients

HCPs report discussing colon cancer screening with 71.1% of their screening eligible patients. However, videotaped analysis of patient-provider encounters revealed that only 28% of office visits included a discussion of colon cancer screening. 16

 

 

2x

Patients who leave with a plan are twice as likely to get screened

Patients who decide on a colon cancer screening plan with their HCPs are nearly twice as likely to follow through with screening than patients who end the office visit without deciding on a plan. 4

 

 

50%

Proactively offering ColoFIT screening has been shown to result in 50% greater adherence to screening recommendations

Studies show that adding patient navigation to a ColoFIT outreach program increases test completion rates by about 50%. 10

 

 

Proactively engage with patients about colon cancer screening

An effective screening program cannot rely on patient initiative.17 With an organized program, you can help ensure patients who need screening are identified, contacted, reminded as needed and provided with options to make choices for their health. Working with Labcorp to implement a colon cancer screening program for your practice, you have access to tools you need to track screening in your community, identify appropriate patients and provide tests at the point of care.

Consider following the three-step F-I-T plan to implement an organized screening program in your community

F

Find patients for whom colon cancer screening is appropriate.

I

Initiate discussions with your patients, showing them the importance of colon cancer screening and evaluating their screening options.

T

Take action to drive patient screening by sending/giving ColoFIT Kits to appropriate patients and following up.

Learn more about how Labcorp can help

Contact your Labcorp representative to learn more about the services Labcorp can offer to help support colon cancer screening in your practice.

Contact a representative

References:

1. Piscitello A, Edwards DK 5th. Estimating the screening-eligible population size, ages 45-74, at average risk to develop colorectal cancer in the United States. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2020;13(5):443-448.

Krist AH, Hochheimer CJ, Sabo RT, et al. Patient, Clinician, and Communication Factors Associated with Colorectal Cancer Screening. J Am Board Fam Med. 2020 Sep-Oct;33(5):779-784.

3. Lafata JE, Cooper G, Divine G, Oja-Tebbe N, Flocke SA. Patient-physician colorectal cancer screening discussion content and patients’ use of colorectal cancer screening. Patient Educ Couns. 2014;94(1):76-82.

4. Krist AH, Hochheimer CJ, Sabo RT, et al. Patient, clinician, and communication factors associated with colorectal cancer screening. J Am Board Fam Med. 2020;33(5):779-784.

5. Jones RM, Woolf SH, Cunningham TD, et al. The relative importance of patient-reported barriers to colorectal cancer screening. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(5):499-507.

6. Zhu X, Parks PD, Weiser E, Jacobson DJ, Limburg PJ, Finney Rutten LJ. Barriers to utilization of three colorectal cancer screening options: data from a national survey. Prev Med Rep. 2021;24:101508.

7. Daly JM, Xu Y, Levy BT. Patients whose physicians recommend colonoscopy and those who follow through. J Prim Care Community Health. 2013;4(2):83-94.

8. Denberg TD, Melhado TV, Coombes JM, et al. Predictors of nonadherence to screening colonoscopy. J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(11):989-995.

9. Wolf AMD, Fontham ETH, Church TR, et al. Colorectal cancer screening for average-risk adults: 2018 guideline update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(4):250-281.

10. Fendrick AM, Fisher DA, Saoud L, Ozbay AB, Karlitz JJ, Limburg PJ. Impact of patient adherence to stool-based colorectal cancer screening and colonoscopy following a positive test on clinical outcomes. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2021;14(9):845-850.

11. Patel SG, May FP, Anderson JC, et al. Updates on age to start and stop colorectal cancer screening: recommendations from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2022;162(1):285-299.

12. Dougherty MK, Brenner AT, Crockett SD, et al. Evaluation of interventions intended to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in the United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(12):1645-1658.

13. Levin TR, Corley DA, Jensen CD, et al. Effects of organized colorectal cancer screening on cancer incidence and mortality in a large community-based population. Gastroenterology. 2018;155(5):1383-1391.

14. Occult blood, fecal, immunoassay. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and Lexi-Comp Inc. 2021. Accessed April 11, 2022. https:// www.labcorp.com/tests/182949/occult-blood-fecal-immunoassay

15. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings. Colon cancer screening. ColoFIT kit FAQs. Updated 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://www.labcorp.com/cancer/colorectal/patients

16. Wolf MS, Baker DW, Makoul G. Physician-patient communication about colorectal cancer screening. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22(11):1493-1499.

17. Schreuders EH, Ruco A, Rabeneck L, et al. Colorectal cancer screening: a global overview of existing programmes. Gut. 2015;64(10):1637-1649.