Fecal Immuno Test

Fecal Immuno Test

The presence of minute traces of blood in stool can be found out with the help of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT). There are a number of reasons for blood in stool. They include the following.

• Tumour in the colon that may be either benign or cancerous in nature.
• Inflated blood vessels near the lower rectum may burst and cause bleeding. These inflated blood vessels are called hemorrhoids.
• Anal fissure which is a rip in the fine tissue that lines the anal opening.
• Any infection of the intestine.
• Ulcerative colitis in which ulcers form in the intestine.
• Crohn’s disease which is an infection of the gastro-intestinal tract.
• Diverticular disease in which protrusions develop on the walls of the intestine.
• Any anomaly in the blood vessels of the colon.

Getting Ready for the Test

Diet is important as it can affect the test results. Therefore, the patient should avoid the below mentioned food stuff for 48-72 hours ahead of the test.

• Uncooked fruits and vegetables are best avoided.
• While chicken and pork can be consumed, red meat should be avoided.
• Vitamin C consumption should be reduced to less than 250 mg a day. This should be followed for the 3 days leading up to the test.
• Iron consumption should be avoided completely.

Results of the Test

If blood has been detected in the stool, then the reason for its presence needs investigation. One way is to do a colonoscopy to find out if the blood is coming from the large intestine. To find out if the stomach or the small intestine is the source of bleeding, an endoscopic examination will be needed.

Need for a More Sensitive Test:

In the current day scenario, it is very difficult to have adequate preparation to avoid a false positive test due to the wide spread use of iron & vitamin-C supplements especially in the elderly. Other dietary interactions with the conventional test too can give a false positive result. Thus, individuals are subjected to invasive testing, increasing the work as well as the cost burden of healthcare. Also, a false positive can increase the fear of cancer in individuals leading to unnecessary mental stress.

Other Stool Tests for Colorectal Cancer Screening:

• The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) – It measures human hemoglobin; the test is unaffected by hemoglobin found in some foods.
• FIT-DNA test (requires collection of entire bowel movement)

You need not make any dietary changes before FIT.

Considering the current scenario & utilizing the recent advances, we are introducing FIT in our healthcare system for better and early detection & treatment of deserving individuals.

Note: FIT will not identify hemoglobin that has been partly assimilated. Only hemoglobin that has not been broken down will be identified.