An unpleasant topic but what we eat affects directly our intestinal health which in turn affects not only our immune system but all aspects of our health.
At age 45 I started annually FiT tests. I just got the latest luckily negative result. That doesn't mean I'll up my cured and processed meat intake.
In case you don't know, the FIT test looks for blood in your stool sample, costs only about $25, and is 70- something percent reliable in detecting bleeding polyps. Cologuard detects blood and abnormal DNA in the stool.sample and is almost as reliable as a proper colonoscopy in detecting cancerous lesions. However, Cologuard costs close to $200, has a fairly high false positive rate, and requires a colonosvopy for clarification.
Without intestinal cancer in the family medical history I would opt for a FIT test. With a positive FIT test I woukd ask for a Cologuard test.
Someone with intestinal cancer in tge family history should probably opt for a colonoscopy as it's the most accurate test. It is however an invasive procedure with serious risks that need to be weighed against tge benefits of early detection.
Your health insurance should cover the cost of any diagnostic your doctor deems necessary. For people without insurance an OTC FIT test is the only option.
At age 45 I started annually FiT tests. I just got the latest luckily negative result. That doesn't mean I'll up my cured and processed meat intake.
In case you don't know, the FIT test looks for blood in your stool sample, costs only about $25, and is 70- something percent reliable in detecting bleeding polyps. Cologuard detects blood and abnormal DNA in the stool.sample and is almost as reliable as a proper colonoscopy in detecting cancerous lesions. However, Cologuard costs close to $200, has a fairly high false positive rate, and requires a colonosvopy for clarification.
Without intestinal cancer in the family medical history I would opt for a FIT test. With a positive FIT test I woukd ask for a Cologuard test.
Someone with intestinal cancer in tge family history should probably opt for a colonoscopy as it's the most accurate test. It is however an invasive procedure with serious risks that need to be weighed against tge benefits of early detection.
Your health insurance should cover the cost of any diagnostic your doctor deems necessary. For people without insurance an OTC FIT test is the only option.
