Table 2.

Most Common Types of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Tests.

Type of Screening Method	Invasiveness	Method	Location to Conduct (Hospital or Home)	Frequency
Colonoscopy	Invasive	Colonoscope is used to examine colon and rectum; image transmitted	Hospital (needed an expert GI physician)	Once every 10 years (if normal)
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy	Invasive	Same procedure as a colonoscopy except that only last one third of the colon is examined (instead of both the colon and rectum)	Hospital (needed an expert GI physician)	Once every 5 years
Colon Capsule Endoscopy	Slightly invasive	Unlike colonoscopy, orally ingested pill camera is used to transmit images	Home (needed GI physician to evaluate images)	Not established yet
Guaiac-Based Fecal Occult Blood Test	Non-invasive	Stool test; detects blood in stool using the chemical guaiac	Home	Once every year
Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)	Non-invasive	Stool test; detects blood in stool using antibodies	Home	Once every year
FIT-DNA Test	Non-invasive	Stool test; detects altered DNA	Home	Once every 1 or 3 years
CT Colonography	Non-invasive	Technology like X-rays used to capture complete images of the colon	Hospital (needed expert to read)	Once every 5 years