Examining Patient Preferences for Colorectal Cancer Screening

A recent study found that patients increasingly prefer noninvasive colorectal‑cancer screening, while many clinicians continue to favor colonoscopy.

That preference is shifting the screening conversation. Clinicians have long valued colonoscopy for diagnostic completeness, while patients increasingly choose stool‑ or blood‑based tests that lower barriers to participation and raise uptake. Shared decision‑making therefore must balance greater reach from noninvasive options with colonoscopy’s superior ability to detect and remove precancerous lesions.

The operational reality includes constrained endoscopy capacity, scheduling delays, and frequent patient misunderstanding about the need for diagnostic colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive screen.

In practice, the requirement for timely diagnostic colonoscopy should be made explicit when offering noninvasive testing, and navigation resources can address scheduling, bowel preparation, transportation, and caregiver needs.