Fecal Occult Blood

Blood in the stool is a sign of bleeding in the digestive tract. This could indicate cancer, polyps, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, or inflammatory bowel disease, also called colitis.

– Assess for cause of bleeding (i.e., Ulcers, polyps, diverticulitis, IBD, colorectal cancer, etc.)

– One positive test warrants further investigation. The fecal occult blood test can only detect the presence or absence of blood — it doesn’t indicate potential sources of bleeding.

– Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum, though not all cancers or polyps bleed.

– Your test could show a positive result when you have no cancer (false-positive result) if you have bleeding from other sources, such as a stomach ulcer, hemorrhoid, or even blood swallowed from your mouth or your nose.

– You may need additional testing, such as a colonoscopy, to locate the source of the bleeding.

The fecal occult blood test (=FOBT) looks for blood in your feces. “Occult” (=hidden) means that the blood amount is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. The bleeding does not change the color of the stool or result in visible bright red blood. Therefore, the blood is found only by testing the stool for blood in the laboratory.