Fecal Occult Blood Testing
(Following Excerpt from American Cancer Society
)
Fecal occult blood test: The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is used to find
occult (hidden) blood in feces. Blood vessels at the surface of colorectal
adenomas or cancers are often fragile and easily damaged by the passage of
feces. The damaged vessels may release enough blood to change the color of
the stool. More often, the damaged blood vessels release only a small amount
of blood into the feces. This blood does not change the appearance of the
stool, but may be detected by the FOBT. If this test is positive, additional
testing is needed because colorectal cancer is not the only condition that
can cause blood in the stool. A positive test result does not necessarily
indicate that a polyp or cancer is present. Other sources of bleeding such
as hemorrhoids or diverticulitis, may be present. Blood from meat an individual
ate can also cause a false positive test result. More importantly, the FOBT
can miss some adenomas and cancers. That is why the ACS does not recommend
using the FOBT alone for colorectal cancer screening. People having this test
will receive a test kit with instructions that explain how to take a stool
or feces sample at home. The kit is then returned to the doctor's office or
a medical laboratory for testing.
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