A blood test to screen for colon cancer may be on the horizon

The first blood test to screen for colorectal cancer could be approved this year — raising the potential to drastically increase the number of people diagnosed with the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States. The test would not replace the gold-standard colonoscopy, experts said, but could boost the dismal rate of colorectal screenings with a less invasive and perhaps more palatable way to detect colon cancer.

Cue the 'ick' factor, as Grady described it, as well as a number of other logistical barriers. The day before a colonoscopy, patients must take laxatives to clear out their colon for cameras to get the best view. That is, they are stuck in a bathroom for several hours. Patients usually need to take a day off of work for the actual procedure, and, because of the anesthesia that’s involved, they need someone else to drive them home afterward.

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