Detecting Colon Cancer Faster: A New Testing Combo

A study in Shandong Province tested four ways to spot colon cancer early. Researchers asked people 40‑to‑74 years old to fill out a risk questionnaire and give a stool sample for a blood test. Then they compared who needed a colon scan. The four methods were: just the questionnaire, just the stool test, any positive result (parallel), or both tests positive (tandem). They looked at how many cancers and serious growths each method found, how many scans were needed per cancer, and the cost.The tandem test, where both tools had to say “yes, ” found 33 cancers and 199 serious growths. That was better than the questionnaire alone (35 cancers, 553 growths), the stool test alone (68 cancers, 340 growths), or the parallel approach (70 cancers, 694 growths). Older men and people with early disease also benefited most from the tandem method. For every cancer caught, the tandem strategy required 141 scans and cost about $9, 874. The questionnaire alone needed only 27 scans but was far more expensive per cancer at $2, 098. The stool test alone used 86 scans and cost $7, 085 per cancer, while the parallel method used 24 scans and cost $1, 701. In places where money and doctors are limited, using both the risk survey and stool test together could help find cancers faster while spending resources wisely.