Colon cancer screening, made clear.
Most average-risk adults should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45. You have options—and the right screening strategy is one you can complete and follow through on.
Education only. This site does not diagnose disease or establish an individualized screening schedule.
What screening conversation applies to me?
Answer five short questions. The tool stays in your browser and points you toward the type of conversation to have with a healthcare professional.
Start with what you need today.
Each section is written for patients first, with source links and clear boundaries between routine screening, diagnostic evaluation, and surveillance.
Compare screening tests
Colonoscopy, FIT, stool DNA, stool RNA, CT colonography, sigmoidoscopy, and blood-based options.
02Understand colonoscopy
What happens before, during, and after the procedure—and what risks and questions matter.
03Prep center
A plain-language guide to bowel preparation, medication questions, hydration, and common problems.
04Family-history navigator
Organize which relatives were affected and at what ages so you can have a better clinical conversation.
05Understand results
What “normal,” “polyp removed,” “positive FIT,” and other common result phrases generally mean.
06Pathology terms
Plain-English explanations of adenoma, serrated lesions, dysplasia, and other common terms.
07Insurance & Medicare
Understand preventive screening coverage and which questions to ask before your test.
08Información en español
Core screening information in Spanish, with links to authoritative Spanish-language resources.
Understand what happens before—and after—the procedure.
Use browser-only explainers and practical checklists without creating an account or sending health text to Colonoscopy.us.
Explain my colonoscopy report
Paste de-identified procedure wording and translate common terms into plain English.
UPGRADEDExplain my pathology report
Paste pathology wording or search terms such as adenoma, serrated lesion, dysplasia, or margins.
DECIDECompare screening preferences
See which options align with home testing, prep, sedation, test interval, and polyp removal preferences.
LOCALFind GI care
Search nearby and cross-check established gastroenterology and Medicare directories.
QUALITYWhat makes a high-quality colonoscopy?
Understand ADR, cecal intubation, bowel-prep adequacy, and withdrawal time.
LEARNPolyps explained
Understand common shapes, pathology families, and why size/number/removal matter.
IMPORTANTSymptoms vs. screening
Know when the question is routine screening versus diagnostic evaluation.
ALL TOOLSOpen the tool center
Report explainers, prep planner, family worksheet, search, and care navigation.
Screening is for people without symptoms.
If you have rectal bleeding, persistent bowel changes, ongoing abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or iron-deficiency anemia, the question is no longer just “Which screening test?” Symptoms need medical evaluation because many conditions—not only cancer—can cause them.
Built from authoritative sources
The clinical backbone is current ACS, USPSTF, CDC, ACG/US Multi-Society guidance, NCI, Medicare, and federal preventive-services guidance.
Content review date: September 5, 2026. Before public launch, a qualified clinician should review the final medical content.