Fecal Occult Blood Test, Is it still worth for Colorectal Cancer Screening?

One of the most critical factors determining survival in terms of colorectal cancers is diagnosis and treatment at an early stage. Diagnosis at an early stage is possible with screening programs carried out within preventive health services. In this study, we aimed to compare the results of patients who underwent colonoscopy due to fecal occult blood test (FOBT) positivity with those over 50 years of age who underwent colonoscopy with other complaints and to reveal whether FOBT test is still essential for screening programs.

This study included patients who underwent colonoscopy between January 2016 and December 2021. Patients were analyzed in two groups according to colonoscopy reasons: group I (FOBT-positive) and group II (other reasons).

A total of 3393 patients were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups for evaluation. Patients who underwent colonoscopy for FOBT positivity (Group I) and patients over 50 years of age who underwent colonoscopy for other reasons (Group II). When the colonoscopy findings were compared between the groups' inflammatory bowel diseases (p=0,03) were higher in group I, while normal colonoscopy (p=0,03) was found to be more common in group II. Polyps, malignancy, diverticulosis, and perianal diseases seem similar between the groups statistically.

FOBT can still be used in colorectal screening because it is inexpensive, widely available, has more participation due to non-invasiveness, and can be applied outside of clinical settings.