New test for colon cancer

Terri Young of Riverside is fighting for her life. The 58-year-old is a wife, mother and grandmother. Even though her own mother died of colon cancer, Terri said she never got screened.

"I think I was scared and since my doctor didn't push it, I didn't push it either," said Young.

Then she started having back pain and was rapidly losing weight. Young was diagnosed with the disease after a colonoscopy in 2013. Since then, she has undergone several surgeries and twenty-three chemotherapy treatments. Each year colon cancer kills 50,000 people in the U.S. and more than 93,000 new cases are diagnosed. A colonoscopy is the best way to detect the disease but doctors say many people, like Terri, are afraid to have the procedure. But there  is new technology that claims to be simple, non-invasive and effective and doctors say it could encourage more people to be screened.

Cologuard, developed by Exact Science Laboratories, is a new screening test that you can do in the privacy of your own home. It analyzes both stool DNA and blood bio-markers and has been proven to find 92 percent of cancers and 69 percent of the most advanced precancerous polyps in average risk patients.

"We want to be the company that helps everyone get screened and that's our goal," said Kevin Conroy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Your doctor can order Cologuard and the test is mailed to your home. There is no special preparation and you don't have to take off work.

"We ship a collection kit to the privacy of your own home. You provide a sample and resend it and it may be a couple of weeks to get a result," Conroy said.

Local gastroenterologist Dr. David Romeo said a Cologuard test needs to be done every three years compared to every ten years for a colonoscopy.

"If you are unwilling to have a colonoscopy, Cologuard is a great alternative," said Dr. Romeo. "It does not permit finding as many precancerous, large polyps as a colonoscopy does, but certainly it's much better than doing nothing at all."

Terri Young wishes she had done something sooner. She has vowed to beat the disease, but she is urging others to get tested.

"Don't hesitate. Just do it. That's the only thing I can tell you. Just do it," said Young.