Insurance companies are sending unsolicited colorectal cancer screening kits like Cologuard directly to patients, often without proper medical guidance, leading to potential misdiagnoses, unnecessary anxiety, and undermining of doctor-patient trust. Experts emphasize that screening should be personalized and involve healthcare providers, with colonoscopy remaining the gold standard for effective detection and prevention.
Exact Sciences' next-generation Cologuard, a stool-based test for colon cancer, outperformed the original test in a study of 20,000 people, with 94% sensitivity and 91% specificity. The company plans to file for approval of the new test by the end of the year. Despite the positive results, Exact Sciences' stock pulled back 4.8% at the close, settling at 89.78. However, the stock has risen 207% from its recent low point in late October.
Colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting younger people, with 20% of diagnoses in 2019 being in patients under 55. Due to less common screening, those under 55 are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer than those who are older. Vannora Hawkins, a survivor, advocates for people to listen to their bodies, push for answers, and get screened. She recommends new screenings such as Cologuard that can be done at home as a non-invasive way to test for the disease.
Cologuard is a non-invasive screening test for colon cancer that can be done at home by collecting a stool sample and sending it back to the company via UPS. The test is effective at screening for colon cancer by looking for blood in the sample and analyzing DNA evidence of cancer cells. If the test is abnormal, further testing is required, but all Affordable Care Act compliant insurances are now required to cover a follow-up colonoscopy. Cologuard is a simple and potentially lifesaving alternative to a colonoscopy for those who are reluctant to have one.
