What does +1 occult blood mean?
If your results are positive for either type of fecal occult blood test, it means you likely have bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract.
What does a positive occult blood stool mean?
Overview. The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is a lab test used to check stool samples for hidden (occult) blood. Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum — though not all cancers or polyps bleed.
What percentage of positive FOBT are cancer?
Colorectal cancers were also detected earlier in the screening group. The positive predictive value of the fecal occult blood test (percentage of patients with a positive test who actually had cancer) ranged from 0.9 to 18.7 percent.
Is occult blood in stool common?
Cancers of the colon are common and frequently produce fecal occult blood long before they cause other symptoms such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, or changes in bowel habits. In addition, some precursors of colon cancer, specifically, some types of colon polyps, also may bleed slowly and cause fecal occult blood.
How accurate is occult blood test?
The 6-sample FOBT and the single digital FOBT had specificities of 93.9% and 97.5%, respectively, as defined by studying 1656 patients with no neoplasia. Sensitivities for detection of advanced neoplasia in 284 patients were 23.9% for the 6-sample FOBT and 4.9% for the digital FOBT.
How do you read a stool report?
Stool analysis test results usually take at least 1 to 3 days. Normal: The stool appears brown, soft, and well-formed in consistency. The stool does not contain blood, mucus, pus, undigested meat fibers, harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.
What are the side effects of occult blood?
Symptoms of OGIB include a change in the color of stools to black-tarry or even maroon, a drop in red blood cells (anemia) and low blood pressure, on occasion. Patients with OGIB may be admitted to the hospital several times for blood transfusions.
What is the name of the occult blood test?
Other names: FOBT, stool occult blood, occult blood test, Hemoccult test, guaiac smear test, gFOBT, immunochemical FOBT, iFOBT; FIT What is it used for? A fecal occult blood test is used as an early screening test for colorectal cancer. It may also be used to diagnose other conditions that cause bleeding in the digestive tract.
What does it mean to have occult blood in your stool?
Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum — though not all cancers or polyps bleed. Typically, occult blood is passed in such small amounts that it can be detected only through the chemicals used in a fecal occult blood test.
What happens if there is no blood in your stool?
A negative test result means that no blood was found in the stool sample during the testing period. You should continue to follow your doctor’s recommendations for regular screening. Are There Other Stool Tests for Colorectal Cancer? Yes. The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is the test of choice over the fecal occult blood test.
How long do you have to collect blood for FOBT?
Occult blood is blood that can’t be seen just by looking at your stool. There are many reasons you may have blood in your stool. Your doctor or nurse will tell you why you’re having the test. For your FOBT, you will collect samples of your stool for 3 days in a row.