Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Evaluation of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevalence by Stool DNA Integrity Detection
Published on: June 8, 2020
Sensitivity of immunochemical fecal occult blood test to small colorectal adenomas
Tamiya Morikawa1, Jun Kato, Yutaka Yamaji
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
Background:
Although the immunochemical fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is reportedly more sensitive to large adenomas or colorectal cancer (CRC) than the guaiac-based FOBT, the sensitivity of the immunochemical FOBT to small adenomas has scarcely been reported. Previous reports have indicated that the guaiac-based FOBT can detect small adenomas only by serendipity.
Objectives:
To investigate the sensitivity of immunochemical FOBT to small adenomas using a large-scale cohort.
Methods:
We analyzed 21,805 consecutively enrolled asymptomatic persons who underwent colonoscopy and immunochemical FOBT.
Results:
The sensitivity to adenomas 60 yr 11.3%). On the other hand, the sensitivity in women was not significantly different from the false-positive rate in any generation (5.1%vs 4.7% for all eligible women, P= 0.72).
Conclusions:
Immunochemical FOBT detected a small percentage of small adenomas in men at a rate that is significantly higher than the false-positive rate. Studies comparing the guaiac and immunochemical FOBTs using the end point of CRC-related death are expected.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Serum Laboratory Studies, Stool Test, Breath Test
01:25Assessment of the Rectum and Anus
Rectal Inspection
Begin by inspecting the perianal and anal areas for color, texture, rashes,...