Fecal Occult Blood Test
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) is a chemical test used to detect traces of blood in the stool. It can discover even vestigial quantities of blood, which otherwise would not been noticed.
As the stools move through the colon, they can damage the blood vessels on polyps or cancers.
FOBT is a non-invasive, economical, easy-to-use exam that can be done at home. It is also one of the exams recommended for colorectal cancer screening.
The technique, however, cannot identify what is causing the bleeding, and also requires several stool samples as the bleeding might be intermittent. If the test result is positive, the next step is a colonoscopy to identify its origin. In fact, if bleeding can be a sign of cancer, it can also be from an ulcer, hemorrhoids or any number of inflammatory bowel diseases.
A few dietary restrictions are necessary before taking the test because:
- Certain fruits and vegetables, as well as red meat, may give false positives
- Vitamin C can interfere with the chemical reaction producing false negatives
Discuss all of this with your doctor.
