March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and Prairie Lakes General Surgery Clinic is promoting the scheduling of colonoscopies for anybody over the age of 45 – sooner if there is family history or other important health factors.
As more and more Americans are reaching the target age, in recent years at-home tests have become very popular as an alternative to an outpatient colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer or polyps. Cologuard is the most popular so we wanted to take this opportunity to explain the differences between Cologuard and a colonoscopy.
What is Cologuard
Cologuard is a non-invasive test that can be performed at home to screen for colon cancer or polyps. It is intended only for use in people who do not have a family history of colon cancer or a personal history of polyps. Cologuard is designed to detect blood and DNA changes in colon polyps and cancer.
What is the Benefit of Cologuard
Cologuard is a very sensitive test. This means if there are polyps present, the test is good at detecting them.
Cologuard can be a good test for the right person. If someone will not do a colonoscopy we would rather they take a Cologuard test than do nothing at all.
What is a Concern with Using Cologuard
Because Cologuard is so sensitive, it has a high false-positive rate. This means the test may come back positive when in fact there are no polyps or cancer present. This can be quite scary for patients. The company claims the false positive rate to be 13% however, in my experience, it is much higher than that.
Another challenge with Cologuard tests is that many insurance companies may cover one screening test only. If the Cologuard returns positive, your insurance company may not completely cover the colonoscopy required after that test result. This varies based on each insurance company's policy - consult your insurance company for coverage information and confirmation.
The Importance of a Colonoscopy 
A colonoscopy is still the gold standard screening method. It is better at detecting precancerous polyps and we can remove them at that time. The procedure is very safe and well tolerated with the anesthesia that is used now.
Yes, there is a bowel prep and the time off, but it is much more definitive.
The Prairie Lakes General Surgery Clinic makes the process even more convenient by offering Direct Access Colonoscopies for those patients that qualify. To see if you qualify, or to schedule your colonoscopy today, call 605-882-7777.
Greg Gerrish, MD, FACS