Colon cancer is no joke. I lost my father to colon cancer. It is rated #2 As a cause of death by cancer in the United States. Anytime I find out somebody's 50th birthday is coming up, I asked them if they've made their appointment with their doctor yet and they smile and say, yeah, maybe. Now some cancer specialists are saying it should be moved to age 40 for your first colonoscopy. 

There are other types of screenings that can indicate whether you need a colonoscopy. So far though the only definitive proof of colon cancer is a colonoscopy. 

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Now we have something new, a blood test to screen for colon cancer. If this blood test is accurate and effective it will change the way people think about testing for colon cancer. 

According to nbcnews.com,
‘The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Guardant Health’s blood test, called Shield, to screen for colon cancer. The test isn't meant to replace colonoscopies, but is generating enthusiasm among doctors who say it has the potential to boost the dismal rate of screenings for the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States.’ 

the nurse fastens the clip on the patients hand before the blood sampling procedure.
Kateryna Kukota
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Shield has been available to doctors as a screening tool for about $895 but now that it's FDA approved Medicare and private insurance companies are more likely to cover some or all of the cost. 

Estimates are that more than 53,000 people will die of colon cancer this year. 

Let's try to reduce that number. 

Please. 

FDA approves blood test to screen for colon cancer (nbcnews.com)
Colorectal Cancer Statistics | How Common Is Colorectal Cancer? | American Cancer Society
A Cell-free DNA Blood-Based Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening | New England Journal of Medicine (nejm.org)

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