Colorectal cancer screening in Singapore
Colorectal cancer screening in Singapore starts at 50. Earlier for some.
If you have no symptoms, there are two ways to screen: a stool test every year, or a colonoscopy every 5 to 10 years. This page sets out who starts when, what each test can and cannot find, what a positive result means, and what it costs.
FRCSEd (General Surgery)Five clinics in Singapore
Age 50, no symptoms, no family history
Stool test
Every year
Colonoscopy
Every 5 to 10 years
A positive stool test needs further testing.
A polyp can be removed in the same session.
In short
50
Age to start, average risk
1 yr
Between stool tests
5-10 yrs
Between colonoscopies
$5
Or lower, subsidised stool test
His story
Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof
Senior Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon, seeing patients at five clinics in Singapore.
- MBChB (Sheffield), M.Med (Surgery), FRCSEd (General Surgery)
- Consults in English and Malay
- MOH Fellowship, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
- Singapore Health Quality Service Star Award 2023
- Dean's Honour Roll for Teaching
Five clinics across Singapore
ORCHARD / NAPIER
Gleneagles Medical Centre
6 Napier Road #06-08, Singapore 258499
NOVENA
Mount Elizabeth Novena
38 Irrawaddy Road, #10-48/49, Singapore 329563
JOO CHIAT / EAST COAST
Parkway East Hospital
#05-08, 319 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427989
THOMSON
Mount Alvernia Hospital
#08-62, Medical Centre D, 820 Thomson Road, Singapore 574623
FARRER PARK
Farrer Park Medical Centre
#14-12, 1 Farrer Park Station Road, Singapore 217562
Who and when
Who should be screened for colorectal cancer, and from what age.
Colorectal cancer is among the three most commonly diagnosed cancers in both men and women in Singapore. It develops slowly over several years, and in the early stages there may be no symptoms. That is why screening is offered to people who feel well.
50
Years old
No symptoms and no family history
Screening begins at age 50. The choice is a stool test every year, or a colonoscopy at an interval of no more than 5 to 10 years.
40
Or earlier
A parent or sibling diagnosed at 60 or younger, or two or more first-degree relatives
Colonoscopy starts 10 years before the youngest case in the family, or at age 40, whichever is earlier. It is repeated every 5 years.
50
Years old
A parent or sibling diagnosed after 60
Colonoscopy from age 50, repeated every 5 to 10 years.
“Colorectal screening in Singapore, it begins at the age of 50. If you have a first degree relative with colon cancer, your screening should begin 10 years before the diagnosis of colon cancer in that relative.”
Conditions that follow their own schedule
| Situation | When colonoscopy starts | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Polyps removed before | 1 to 3 years after removal if the polyps had high-risk features (larger than 1cm, multiple, or villous). Otherwise 3 to 5 years after removal. | Set by what was found |
| Familial adenomatous polyposis in the family | From 10 to 12 years old | Every year. Flexible sigmoidoscopy first, switching to colonoscopy once adenomas are found. |
| Lynch syndrome in the family | From 20 to 25 years old | Every 1 to 2 years |
| Inflammatory bowel disease, left-sided colitis | From the 15th year after diagnosis | Every 1 to 2 years |
| Inflammatory bowel disease, pan-colitis | From the 8th year after diagnosis | Every 1 to 2 years |
Ages and intervals in this section: HealthHub, Singapore, last reviewed 23 December 2025.
Stool test or colonoscopy
The stool test and the colonoscopy, and what each one can find.
Both are recommended screening tests in Singapore, and they are not the same kind of test. The stool test, called FIT, looks for hidden blood. A colonoscopy looks at the colon directly.
| FIT, the stool test | Colonoscopy | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Stool samples you collect at home, checked for small amounts of blood that cannot be seen with the naked eye | A flexible tube with a camera that looks at the inner lining of the colon and rectum |
| How it is done | Two samples, collected over two days | By a doctor trained in colonoscopy. About 20 to 30 minutes. |
| How often, at average risk | Every year | At an interval of no more than 5 to 10 years |
| Can it remove a polyp | No | Yes, in the same session |
| If the result is abnormal | Further testing is needed to find the cause | Samples can be taken at the time and sent for testing |
74 in 100
Cancers a single stool test picked up
In pooled studies reviewed for the US Preventive Services Task Force, commonly used stool tests detected 74 in 100 colorectal cancers. They correctly cleared 94 in 100 people who did not have cancer. One test can miss a cancer, and the advice is to repeat it every year.
What a large colonoscopy trial found
In a randomised trial of 84,585 people in Poland, Norway and Sweden, the group invited to a screening colonoscopy had fewer colorectal cancers over 10 years: 0.98%, against 1.20% in the group that was not invited. Only 42% of those invited had the colonoscopy.
What it did not show: a statistically significant difference in deaths from colorectal cancer over those 10 years.
A positive result
A positive stool test is not a cancer diagnosis.
It means the amount of blood in the stool is higher than normal. HealthHub’s screening guidance is plain that this does not mean you have cancer, and that further testing is needed to find out.
A positive stool test
The amount of blood in the sample is higher than normal. It is not a diagnosis.
A follow-up appointment
The result is explained and further testing is arranged.
A look at the colon itself
A colonoscopy examines the lining of the colon and rectum. A polyp can be removed in the same session.
The next date
What was found decides when the next check is due.
If you have symptoms
Screening is for people without symptoms. Symptoms need a doctor.
The subsidised stool test is meant for people with no bowel symptoms. If you have any of the three below, do not wait for a kit. See a doctor, even if your last stool test was normal.
Blood in the stools
The possible causes are set out in what anal bleeding can mean.
A change in bowel habits
Including diarrhoea or constipation. See what counts as a significant change.
Persistent abdominal discomfort
Such as cramps, gas or pain.
Symptom list: HealthHub, Singapore. Already diagnosed, or helping someone who is? See the colorectal cancer page.
Risks in numbers
What a screening colonoscopy risks, in numbers.
The stool test is a sample collected at home. A colonoscopy is a procedure, and serious complications are uncommon but real.
3 in 10,000
Perforation
A tear in the bowel wall. The pooled rate for screening colonoscopy was 3.1 per 10,000 procedures.
Source: Lin and colleagues, JAMA, 2021
15 in 10,000
Major bleeding
The pooled rate for screening colonoscopy was 14.6 per 10,000 procedures.
Source: Lin and colleagues, JAMA, 2021
In the trial of 84,585 people described above, 11,843 had a screening colonoscopy. Fifteen had major bleeding after a polyp was removed. There were no perforations and no screening-related deaths within 30 days.
Cost and subsidy
What screening costs, and where the subsidy applies.
Stool test, Singapore Citizens
$5 or lower at CHAS GP clinics for eligible Singapore Citizens, under Healthier SG Screening. Citizens enrolled with Healthier SG are fully subsidised at their enrolled clinic.
Stool test, Permanent Residents
HealthHub does not publish a fixed fee. Check the rate with your CHAS GP clinic.
Where the kit comes from
Your Healthier SG clinic or CHAS GP. The Singapore Cancer Society stopped distributing kits in 2025.
Who the subsidised test is for
Singaporeans and Permanent Residents aged 50 or above, with no stool test in the last 12 months, no colonoscopy in the last 10 years unless a doctor advises otherwise, and no bowel symptoms.
Colonoscopy
A private colonoscopy is priced by the clinic and the hospital, and MediSave can be used towards it. Dr Sulaiman’s clinic price and the MediSave limits are on the colonoscopy page, under what a private colonoscopy costs.
Under 50, over 75
Screening before 50, and after 75.
Under 50
Singapore’s guidance for adults at average risk starts at 50. The US Preventive Services Task Force also recommends screening from 45 to 49. Under 50 with a family history, the earlier schedule above applies. With symptoms, see a doctor at any age.
76 to 85
The same American guidance says screening between 76 and 85 is offered selectively. The decision weighs overall health, earlier screening and what the person prefers.
Common questions
Six questions people ask about screening.
Can I go straight to a colonoscopy without doing the stool test first?
Yes. HealthHub lists both as screening options for an adult at average risk: the stool test every year, or a colonoscopy at an interval of no more than 5 to 10 years. You do not need a positive stool test to have a colonoscopy. The national subsidy covers the stool test, so a screening colonoscopy is arranged and paid for separately.
Am I clear if my stool test was negative?
A negative result means no hidden blood was found in that sample. It does not rule cancer out. In pooled studies, commonly used stool tests picked up about 74 in 100 cancers, so the test is repeated every year. If you develop bowel symptoms between tests, see a doctor and do not wait for the next kit.
Does a positive stool test mean I have cancer?
Not necessarily. A positive result means the amount of blood in the stool is higher than normal. HealthHub is clear that it does not mean you have cancer, and that further testing is needed. A colonoscopy looks at the lining of the colon and rectum directly, which is how the cause is found.
I am under 50. Should I be screened?
For an adult at average risk, Singapore's guidance starts at 50. It starts earlier with a family history: if a parent or sibling had colorectal cancer at 60 or younger, or two or more first-degree relatives had it, colonoscopy starts 10 years before the youngest case in the family or at 40, whichever is earlier. Symptoms are a separate matter at any age and need a doctor, not a screening test.
How often do I need to repeat it?
The stool test is yearly. A colonoscopy for an adult at average risk is repeated at an interval of no more than 5 to 10 years. With a close family history it is every 5 years. If polyps are removed, the next colonoscopy is sooner, and it is timed by what was found.
Does the colonoscopy hurt, and how long does it take?
Those answers, with the preparation and what happens on the day, are on the colonoscopy page, where Dr Sulaiman walks through each step.
Ask about screening
Not sure which test fits you? Ask the surgeon.
If you are 50 or older, have a family history, or have had a positive stool test, Dr Sulaiman can advise which test fits and arrange it at one of five clinics in Singapore.