While average-risk individuals are typically advised to initiate screening at age 50, higher-risk patients should begin colonoscopies at age 40 or a decade prior to the youngest relative's diagnosis. Non-invasive stool and blood tests offer accessible initial options to detect hidden blood or circulating tumor DNA, but they cannot definitively rule out cancer. Any positive result from these preliminary tests requires a follow-up colonoscopy to directly inspect the colon lining, collect tissue samples, and remove polyps. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 13,000 new cases were diagnosed in Singapore, underscoring the urgent need for timely evaluations.
Key points
Average-risk individuals are generally recommended to initiate colorectal cancer screenin…: Average-risk individuals are generally recommended to initiate colorectal cancer screening once they reach the age of 50.
Neither stool tests nor blood tests can definitively rule out cancer with a negative resu…: Neither stool tests nor blood tests can definitively rule out cancer with a negative result, and positive findings always mandate a colonoscopy.
Colonoscopies provide unique clinical utility by allowing physicians to directly examine…: Colonoscopies provide unique clinical utility by allowing physicians to directly examine the colon lining, collect tissue samples, and remove polyps.
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Stool tests, blood tests or colonoscopy: Which colorectal cancer screening method is right for you?
Each looks for different signs of disease and has different strengths and limitations. Colorectal surgeon Dr Aaron Poh explains how they compare and why age and family history matter
After her father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 60, joining several other relatives with the disease, Emma Chen (not her real name) was advised to undergo a colonoscopy at 38. However, she delayed the procedure until she was 42.
During the examination, doctors found a large polyp containing early invasive cancer. She subsequently underwent surgery to remove the affected section of her colon.
While screening generally begins at age 50 for those at average risk, people with a family history may need to start earlier, according to HealthHub.
Chen’s colorectal surgeon, Dr Aaron Poh, medical director at Alpine Surgical Practice, explains how earlier screening might have made a difference.
“Given her family history, an earlier colonoscopy at age 40 would have detected the polyp before it became cancerous, potentially allowing it to be…
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