What is a FIT test for colon cancer?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
A FIT is a colon cancer screening done entirely at home: collect a small stool sample with the kit, mail it to the lab, and the lab checks for hidden blood. No diet or medication restrictions beforehand. At average risk it starts at 45 and repeats yearly - the protection comes from the schedule. A positive means blood was found and a colonoscopy follows; it is not a cancer diagnosis.
What to do
- Follow the kit exactly. Collection steps vary by manufacturer - the instructions in your box rule.
- Repeat yearly. FIT works as an annual habit, not a one-time event.
- Act on a positive. The follow-up colonoscopy finds the bleeding source - skipping it wastes the screening.
- Choose it over nothing. If a colonoscopy is not happening, a yearly FIT beats no screening by a wide margin.
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