You’ve likely seen ads for at-home colon screening tests, as an alternative to more invasive colonoscopies. 

But Dr. John B. Kisiel says regardless of the method: "The most important colon cancer screening test is the one that gets done."

He’s a professor for medicine at the Mayo Clinic. His team also developed Cologuard, a non-invasive, at-home screening test. There are other at-home tests, too, such as the fecal immunochemical test, which looks for microscopic blood in the stool.

"And then there are some other recent innovators in this space," said Kisiel. "There are some other stool tests which look for RNA instead of DNA. And there's also a lot of excitement around tests that could potentially identify cancers using peripheral blood like a venous blood draw.

"The tests are actually fairly comparable in terms of the numbers of cancer deaths averted in cancers prevented." Kisiel said.

The key is you have to do it. In 2018, Kisiel says the recommended age to begin screening was lowered to 45.

"We are seeing more and more young patients. So patients under the age of 50 account for about 10 or 11% of all of the colorectal cancer cases that we now see," said Kisiel.

Symptoms of colon cancer could include rectal bleeding, pain, change in bowel habit, anemia and involuntary weight loss.

Kisiel also says knowing your family history is hugely important because those who may be more susceptible should begin screening at a younger age.