Table 1.

Current CRC screening methods

Tool	Blood or stool	Sensitivity (%)	Specificity (%)	Advantages	Limitations	Citation
Colonoscopy	Invasive	75–93	100	• Well validated and widely accepted • High sensitivity and specificity	• Requires expertise to perform/interpret • Invasive • Low compliance • Risk of intestinal perforation and bleeding	[4, 8]
Sigmoidoscopy	Invasive	77–84	84	• Typically does not require sedation • Less extensive bowel preparation	• Requires expertise to perform/interpret • Invasive • Risk of intestinal perforation and bleeding • Not as thorough as colonoscopy	[9, 10]
Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)	Stool	50	91–98	• Inexpensive • Can be performed at home	• Low sensitivity • Requires repeated testing	[18, 19]
Fecal immunochemical test (FIT)	Stool	93	90	• Inexpensive • Can be performed at home • High sensitivity	• Not as sensitive to colorectal neoplasia	[19, 21]
Cologuard	Stool	92–98	90	• Inexpensive • Can be performed at home	• Not as sensitive to colorectal neoplasia	[22, 24]
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)	Blood	74–80	70–95	• Easy to perform	• Cannot detect early stage CRC • No standardized cutoff values	[27, 29]
Epi proColon	Blood	66–68	91	• Easy to perform	• Low sensitivity	[31, 32]