Compare and decide
OC-Auto FIT or Cologuard®:
Which test is best?
Choosing the best screening test for you
When it comes to colon cancer screening, healthcare providers often offer patients a range of options that include colonoscopy, FIT, Cologuard®, and others. While any screening solution is better than no screening, only you and your healthcare team can decide which test is best for you.
What Cologuard might not want you to know
Although the makers of the Cologuard® test have invested millions of dollars promoting their tests, FIT screening remains more widely used and more highly recommended.1-3
Read on to learn about why OC-Auto FIT may be a better choice.
Advantage | Expert recommendation
OC-Auto FIT is considered a Tier 1 test¹ in the colon cancer screening guidelines published by the US Multi-Society Task Force on colorectal cancer. This means it received the highest possible recommendation based on performance features, costs, and other considerations.
Cologuard® is considered a Tier 2 test with only a conditional recommendation by the same guidelines.¹
Advantage | Easy to use
OC-Auto FIT makes it easy to collect a sample with a simple no-mess process. The FIT requires only a small amount from one bowel movement.
Cologuard® requires a complicated, multistep, potentially messy collection process.2 Completing the test requires that you collect and return an entire bowel movement.
Advantage | Peace of mind
Like breast and prostate screenings, OC-Auto FIT is an annual health check. This gives you more opportunities to find early indicators of disease.
Cologuard® checks for cancer every 3 years.3 If cancer or precancer develops after your last test, it may not be detected for a few years.
Advantage | Fewer false positives*
A positive test result requires follow-up with your healthcare provider and can be quite alarming for you or your loved ones. OC-Auto FIT has very low rates of false-positive results.4
*A positive result in the absence of disease.
Cologuard® returns false positives about 2-3 times more frequently than OC-Auto FIT. That means more patients who do not have cancer receive unnecessary and invasive follow-up testing and the concern that comes with it.4
Getting OC-Auto FIT is easy.
If you are between the ages of 45 and 75 and of average-risk†, be sure to ask your healthcare provider about annual screening with OC-Auto FIT, or order a kit for yourself today.
†Professional guidelines recommend regular colon cancer screening for all average-risk adults between 45-75 years of age.1,5,6 For screening purposes, you are at average risk of colorectal cancer if you do not have a personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps; a family history of colorectal cancer; a confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer or HNPCC); a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease); or a personal history of abdominal or pelvic radiation for a previous cancer. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are not sure if you are at average or increased risk of colorectal cancer.3
OC-Auto Sensor io iFOB Test is designed to be used together as an immunoassay test system. The test system is intended for the qualitative detection of fecal occult blood in feces by professional laboratories. The automated test is used for the measurement of fecal occult blood and is useful as an aid to detect blood in stool when lower gastrointestinal bleeding may be suspected.
References:
- Rex DK, Boland CR, Dominitz JA, et al. Colorectal cancer screening: recommendations for physicians and patients from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on colorectal cancer. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112(7):1016-1030. doi:10.1038/ajg.2017.174
- Cologuard Quick Start Guide. Exact Sciences. Accessed February 7, 2023. https://patient.exactsciences.com/app/kitreturn/en/quick-start/set-up-kit
- Wolf AMD, Fontham ETH, Church TR, et al. Colorectal cancer screening for average-risk adults: 2018 guidelines update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(4):250-281. doi:10.3322/caac.21457
- Imperiale TF, Ransohoff DF, Itzkowitz SH, et al. Multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal-cancer screening. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(14):1287-1297. doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1311194
- US Preventive Services Task Force, Davidson KW, Barry MJ, et al. Screening for colorectal cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;325(19):1965-1977. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6238
- Shaukat A, Kahi CJ, Burke CA, et al. ACG clinical guidelines: colorectal cancer screening 2021. Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(3):458-479. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001122
Cologuard is a registered trademark of Exact Sciences Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
