New blood tests for detecting colorectal cancer seem like an easy and convenient option compared to a colonoscopy. Instead of preparing your bowels and undergoing an invasive procedure, you only need to give a small blood sample. But are these blood tests reliable enough?

Doctors in Dallas and other parts of Texas are beginning to use a new blood test that can detect colon cancer earlier. The Shield test offers results in about two weeks. DALLAS - A new FDA-approved blood test is helping doctors in Texas detect colon cancer earlier.

Research that has not yet been peer-reviewed shows the newest blood test is more than 80% accurate in detecting colon cancer in people who had the disease. The test is 90% accurate in ruling out cancer in healthy adults, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Austin patients are among the first in the country to have access to a new blood test capable of screening for colorectal cancer. Why it matters: Officials of California-based Guardant Health say their blood test will be a "game changer" in colorectal screenings,