How does Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBT) Work?
The 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 proce
