TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Giving patients a choice between screening methods could help doctors detect colon cancer earlier, a new study shows. More than double the number of patients underwent colon cancer screening if they were given a choice of the type of test they’d prefer, researchers report. Only 6% of patients completed screening within six months if they were only offered a colonoscopy, results show.

Meanwhile, only about 11% completed screening if they were only offered a take-home fecal test kit. But if they were offered the choice between a colonoscopy or a take-home test kit, the screening rate jumped to nearly 13%. Further, when given a choice, the proportion of people who got a colonoscopy increased to 10%, they added.

“Offering the choice of colonoscopy or take-home kits seem to have the advantage of maximizing the rates of colonoscopy -- the most effective screening tool -- while not overloading individuals with too much of a choice, which could have lowered overall participation,” said lead researcher Dr. Shivan Mehta , Penn Medicine’s associate chief innovation officer and an associate professor of gastroenterology. Colon cancer screening is now recommended for people at average risk starting at age 45, researchers said.

Those with personal or family history of colon cancer might need to start sooner. Colonoscopies are recommended once every 10 years. While invasive, these procedures allow doctors to remove precancerous polyps that c.