Support for Colorectal Screening

Colorectal screening can involve several types of screening tests. The gold standard is the colonoscopy, which catches more than 95 percent of cancers. Other screening tests include the flexible sigmoidoscopy exam, which checks the last 60 cm of the colon. It also includes the FOBT or fecal occult blood test or the FIT test, the fecal immunochemistry test. The FIT test specifically looks for

human blood rather than the blood byproducts that would be created from eating rare meat.

Recent research has shown that fecal occult blood screening, either through the FIT test or the regular FOBT, is well accepted by the populace. People will often do this test when asked by their doctor. The tests are not very specific for cancer but they are sensitive for cancer. This means that some people will be asked to have a colonoscopy on the basis of a positive FIT test or FOBT, even when they have no cancer at all. These less invasive tests can show bleeding from a hemorrhoid or other source of GI tract bleeding, including stomach ulcers.

Death from colorectal cancer can be reduced through adequate screening tests. If patients are less likely to agree to a colonoscopy as a screening test, the FIT test or FOBT testing can be used in these patients, gathering more patients under the “screening umbrella” for colorectal cancer.

People appreciated the fact that early screening of colon cancer can make the cancer more easily treatable and can prevent cancer, particularly if the colonoscopy is done and precancerous polyps are removed. The FIT test and FOBT screen for early cancer but cannot prevent cancer because precancerous polyps tend not to bleed.

The good news about the FOBT and FIT testing is that these are completely painless and simple ways to detect cancer as opposed to the colonoscopy, which often requires some type of sedation due to nervousness and pain associated with the procedure. There were a few concerns on the behalf of people about the awkwardness of testing using the FOBT procedure. Many people don’t like to handle even their own feces and don’t want to do that part of the procedure. Even so, they are tests that are much simpler to do than the flexible sigmoidoscopy or the colonoscopy.

Check with your doctor about what test he or she recommends and follow that recommendation. If you absolutely cannot do the colonoscopy part of the screening, at least do the FIT test or the FOBT testing so you can have some aspect of adequate screening for colorectal cancer.