The potential complications of colorectal cancer can be minimized by taking the simple step of undergoing regular screening. Key components of a screening program for individuals over the age of 50 include:

A. Fecal Occult Blood Tests. Adults over 50 should have an annual fecal occult blood test.  This test checks for minimum traces of blood in the stool.  The test has an important role in colorectal cancer screening. The procedure is the most common and inexpensive colorectal cancer screening device. This test (which can be performed at home and mailed to the medical lab for patient convenience), involves examining a small sample of stool to see if any hidden blood, which an individual would not ordinarily be able to detect, is present. However, this test alone is insufficient for accurate screening. The test can be positive falsely if the patient is on certain types of diet and/or medication.  The accuracy of the test is about 30% in detecting early stage colorectal cancer, if used alone.  Therefore, fecal occult blood test is generally used in combination with one of the other tests explained below. 

B. Flexible Sigmoidoscopy. For individuals at average-risk, a flexible sigmoidoscopy is recommended every 5 years to detect colorectal cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage. In this test, the physician uses a "small, lighted device to examine the lower one-third of the colon" ("Ounce of Prevention," n. pag.). This test is easy, the least expensive of the testing methods, and is highly accurate in examining the lower third of the colon. On the other hand, since only one-third or less of the colon is examined, cancers arising in the upper colon may go undetected.

C. Barium enema. The "double contrast barium enema provides physicians with an indirect way to visualize the colon" ("Ounce of Prevention," n. pag.). Through the use of this test, doctors can view abnormal areas of the colon with a special scanning device. While the barium enema is more likely to identify larger polyps and growths (with a 50 percent or better accuracy according to the research), it is less likely to pick up the smaller growths characteristic of the earliest cancers, which are at the most curable stage. "Often barium enemas and sigmoidoscopy are used in combination to allow for a more thorough examination than either test can provide alone" ("Ounce of Prevention," n. pag.).

D. Screening Colonoscopy. For many years, colonoscopy has been widely recognized as the most desirable method for early detection of cancers in high-risk patients, and for monitoring patients with a prior colorectal cancer for any recurrence. In recent years, colonoscopy every 7 to 10 years for average risk patients has gained increasing acceptance as another screening alternative. Colonoscopy examines the entire colon using a flexible, lighted device and allows your physician to take tissue samples for biopsy and to remove polyps during the examination. This test is the most reliable, and provides the physician with a visualization of the entire colon thereby providing the opportunity to remove many growths and cancers during the examination. Although the colonoscopy itself is very safe, there is a small risk of injury to the colon. "The American Cancer Society, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association endorse these recommendations" ("Ounce of Prevention," n. pag.).