Who should have faecal occult blood testing?
The test is used as a screening test for bowel cancer or to find out if there is bleeding from the digestive system if you have abdominal symptoms. The test isn’t usually given to people who can already see blood in their stool or who have symptoms such as anaemia, persistent change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss or bleeding from the rectum. In these cases, more in-depth investigations will be done. The Cancer Council Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council recommend starting 2-yearly faecal occult blood testing from the age of 50 in people who do not have any symptoms or a strong family history of bowel cancer. The Cancer Council advises that people who are at high risk of bowel cancer — those with close relatives who have had the disease or those who have a condition that increases the risk of bowel cancer — should discuss screening options with their GP. The Government has phased in a National Bowel Cancer Screening Program using faecal occult blood
