he long-term incidence rate of cancer in the US is consistent among men and women over the past decades. Among these cases, colorectal cancer is one of the top three leading causes of cancer-related mortalities with 49,920 reported deaths in 2009. Since then, the US government encourages every individual to voluntarily undergo fecal occult blood tests especially those who have higher risk of getting colorectal cancer. Furthermore, the US continues to accelerate its efforts in controlling cancer, which eventually showed significant reduction in the mortality and incidence rates for the last 10 years. Since cancer is less treatable at it progresses to the final stage, early detection is their primary concern, if not total prevention.
What is Stool Occult Blood Test?
Fecal occult blood test or simply occult test is a stool blood screening test for the detection of colorectal cancer. It primarily checks for presence of blood in the stool that is invisible to the naked eye. Since the process of bleeding inside the intestine is slow and mostly irregular, blood does not change the stool color neither result to a visible bright red blood in the stool. Only detection through the occult test is possible.
Types of Fecal Occult Blood Tests
There are actually three kinds of fecal occult blood tests available either through laboratory processing in the hospitals/clinic or in drugstores. The occult blood testing process and materials used are also different. They may also vary in the collection method. However, in general, they still require three stool samples for proper occult blood testing. Continue reading ‘How does Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBT) Work?’ »