Kevin Liebovich, MD, a gastroenterologist at Gurnee, Ill.-based Lake Shore Gastroenterology, weighed the pros and cons of at-home fecal immunochemical tests and colonoscopies in a Milwaukee Business Journal article.
The insights he shared:
1. Dr. Liebovich said colonoscopy is the "gold standard" in colon cancer screening and prevention because it can remove precancerous polyps.
2. Because FIT tests screen for the presence of blood in stool, they only assess the risk for polyps and do not prevent cancer, Dr. Liebovich said.
3. He said a FIT test may not be in a patient's best interest because they're not as accurate as colonoscopies.