Colonoscopy or stool test: which bowel cancer check do you need?
The short answer
If you have symptoms such as bleeding, a change in bowel habit, weight loss or anaemia, you need a colonoscopy, not a stool test. If you feel well, a stool test for hidden blood (FIT) is a reasonable screen that must be repeated regularly, and a positive result leads to a colonoscopy anyway. A colonoscopy is the only test that can find and remove polyps before they become cancer.
Book a colonoscopy, ₦450,000 all-inMedically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
What a stool test does
A faecal immunochemical test (FIT) checks a small stool sample for blood you cannot see. It is done at home, needs no preparation and costs little. It is a screening test: it suggests who needs a colonoscopy. A negative result is reassuring for now but has to be repeated, usually every one to two years, and it can miss polyps that are not bleeding.
What a colonoscopy does
A colonoscopy looks at the lining of the whole large bowel directly. Polyps are usually removed during the same procedure, which prevents them turning into cancer, and anything suspicious is sampled. It needs a day of preparation and a few hours on the day. After a normal colonoscopy many people are not advised to repeat it for several years; the report says when.
Which one is right for you
- Bleeding from the back passage, blood in the stool, or a change in bowel habit for more than a few weeks: colonoscopy
- Unexplained iron deficiency anaemia or weight loss: colonoscopy, often with a gastroscopy
- A parent, brother or sister with bowel cancer: colonoscopy, usually starting earlier than average
- A positive stool test: colonoscopy
- Forty-five or over, feeling well, average risk: either a regular stool test or a colonoscopy
What it costs on Mezo
One all-in price, paid online. Sedation, any biopsy and a doctor's review of the report are included.
Common questions
Is a stool test as good as a colonoscopy?
They do different jobs. A stool test is a simple screen repeated regularly. A colonoscopy is the definitive look, and the only one of the two that removes polyps. With symptoms, only a colonoscopy will do.
My stool test was negative but I still see blood. What now?
See a doctor. A negative screening test does not explain visible bleeding, and symptoms always outweigh a screening result.
What does a colonoscopy cost on Mezo?
₦450,000, all-in. One price, paid online, with sedation, any biopsy, the specialist's written report and a doctor's review of it included. Nothing is paid on the day. Gastroscopy and colonoscopy together are ₦750,000.
The procedures
Related health guides
More patient guides
Sources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Bowel cancer screening. NHS. Patient information.
- Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. US Preventive Services Task Force, JAMA 325(19), 2021. Peer-reviewed.
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinical guideline.
Links last checked 13 October 2026.
Medical disclaimer:This guide is general information and does not replace advice from your own doctor. Where your centre's instructions differ from this guide, follow theirs.