New Stool Test Detects 90% of Colorectal Cancers: What Your Screening Choices Reveal

# New Stool Test Detects 90% of Colorectal Cancers: What Your Screening Choices Reveal

> **Quick answer:** University of Geneva scientists created an AI stool test that detects 90% of colorectal cancers by analyzing gut microbiome subspecies patterns, coming close to colonoscopy's 94% accuracy. Whether you would rush to take this test or keep putting it off maps predictably to your personality, specifically your levels of extraversion and neuroticism, according to a 2019 study of 14,394 adults.

A new stool test for colorectal cancer detection is making headlines, and it's simpler than anything before it. Researchers used AI to map gut bacteria at a level of precision that wasn't previously possible, finding that a stool sample alone could catch 9 out of 10 cancers. But here's what most coverage misses: who actually shows up for screening, and why, comes down to your personality in ways science can now predict.

## New Stool Test for Colorectal Cancer: The Science Behind 90% Detection

Scientists at the University of Geneva, led by professor Mirko Trajkovski, published research in *Cell Host & Microbe* (2025) showing their AI model detected **90% of colorectal cancer cases** from stool samples alone. For context, the gold standard colonoscopy hits 94%. Every existing non-invasive method falls below this new test.

The approach works by analyzing gut bacteria at the **subspecies level**, an intermediate resolution that captures meaningful biological differences between individuals. Lead author Matija Trickovic called the results "striking" given how closely they approached colonoscopy accuracy. A clinical trial is now being prepared with Geneva University Hospitals to refine the model further.