My doctor recommended a combination FIT+DNA test instead of colonoscopy (brand name "Cologuard"). She said it's not quite as good as the "gold standard" colonoscopy, but it also doesn't have the risks of colonoscopy.

And the FIT+DNA test is so cheap and easy, you can do it every year or three instead of every 10 years with the colonoscopy.

She still recommends colonoscopies for high-risk patients, but she thinks the risks outweigh the benefits for low-risk patients, so she recommends Cologuard in those situations.

I appreciate this risk-adjusted and probabilistic approach rather than one-size-fits all recommendations.

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antinomicus an hour ago | parent [-]

Risks? The risks of a colonoscopy are crazy low though.

	▲	aprdm a minute ago \| parent \| next [-]
		They are until they aren't. My grandmother had a puncture and almost died
	▲	25 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
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	▲	amanaplanacanal an hour ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		There is still the rush of perferating the colon, but I assume it doesn't happen very often. Cologuard has got to be cheaper though.
	▲	NotGMan 13 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		2 to 3 colonoscopies per ~1k to 2k people cause severe rupture of the intestines that require urgent surgery.
	▲	ramesh31 an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		>"Risks? The risks of a colonoscopy are crazy low though." Not at the statistical level. Death rate from complications is about 1 in 10,000: https://www.endoscopy-campus.com/ec-news/risk-of-death-from-...