[Early detection of colonic and rectal cancer; extensive study of occult blood]

Due to the high frequency and usually late diagnosis of cancer of colon and rectum the "haemoccult test" has been recommended as an easy, quick, and unexpensive method for stool determination of occult blood that will allow us to suspect the existence of these tumors in their early asymptomatic stages. The test was performed in 1437 patients attending the gastroenterology clinic which had no clinical evidence of bleeding, of these, 1150 returned the samples. In 52 (4,6%) the test was positive for occult blood. The studies performed revelated that 4 were upper gastrointestinal ilions, one ileal diverticulum and 40 (3,47%) patients had colonic disease of the latter 19 were diverticular disease, 1 crohnis disease of rectum, 2 adenomatous and 2 villous polips, 1 Hodkgin disease and 7 carcinomas. There were 6 false positive results. The high frequency of positive "haemoccult test" in colonic disease, specially benign and malignant tumors, make this test and appropiate method of this time in the detection for colo-rectal carcinoma.