A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) looks for blood in the stool.
The test is used to screen for colon and rectal cancers.
It may also be used to help find cause for belly pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or lack of hunger.
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
There are no major problems linked to having this test.
Certain food and medicine can affect the test. You may be asked to AVOID:
Other steps to help get accurate results include:
The test is most often done at home. Follow instructions that are provided with your kit. The following is a general explanation.
When you are ready to have a bowel movement, you will set up the kit using the instructions. The kit should allow you to collect 3 samples. Some kits have a disposable container into which you can pass your bowel movement. Other kits give you tissue paper or plastic wrap that you can lay in the toilet to keep your stool from getting into the water.
You can also turn off the water valve to the toilet tank and flush the toilet a couple of times. This will empty most of the water out of the toilet bowl. When ready, pass the stool into the bowl. Collect the sample, then turn the water back on.
Using thin wooden sticks from the kit, you will pick up a small sample of stool. You will then smear the sample onto a special card. The card folds over to protect the stool sample.
The card may need to be mailed or brought into a clinic. Make sure you have written your name on each card.
The test should only take a few minutes.
This test will not hurt.
If blood is found in your stool, you may need more tests. These tests will help to find out the cause of the bleeding. Although cancer may be one cause of blood in the stool, there are many other less serious causes.
Call your doctor if you have:
If you think you have an emergency, call for emergency medical services right away.
Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
https://familydoctor.org
National Institute on Aging
https://www.nia.nih.gov
Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
http://www.cdhf.ca
Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca
Colorectal cancer screening. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114074/Colorectal-cancer-screening. Updated May 21, 2018. Accessed July 20, 2018.
Colorectal cancer screening tests. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/screening-tests-used.html. Updated May 30, 2018. Accessed July 20, 2018.
Fecal occult blood test and fecal immunochemical test. Lab Tests Online—American Association for Clinical Chemistry website. Available at: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/fecal-occult-blood-test-and-fecal-immunochemical-test. Updated July 13, 2018. Accessed July 20, 2018.
Last reviewed May 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board James Cornell, MD Last Updated: 7/20/18
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