California ? An easy-to-use test can be effective at detecting many colon cancers and could help improve the nation’s poor screening rates, which have lagged behind other cancers, Kaiser Permanente researchers said Tuesday.

Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the United States, killing more than 56,000 people annually.

A colonoscopy is the best method for detecting such cancers, but many people balk at the procedure because it can be invasive and uncomfortable.

Kaiser studied a noninvasive screening method, known as a “fecal immunochemical test,” which looks for human blood in the stool.

Colorectal polyps or cancers often have blood vessels at the surface that are easily damaged. As a result, even small amounts of blood in the stool can be a sign of their existence.

An immunochemical test can be quickly performed at home and mailed to a laboratory for analysis.

It is a newer version of a stool test that has been around since the 1970s and is easier to use because it does not require dietary restrictions.

It also has fewer false positives.

The study, published this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found the test could detect 81 percent of cancers.