How Effective is a Fecal Occult Blood Test to Detect Malignancy?

Aim: Cancer, an important public global health problem, is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to reveal the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) by the positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT), requested within the scope of periodic health examination (PHE) in patients applied to the family medicine outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods: A total of 119 people aged between 50 and 70 years, who applied to the family medicine outpatient clinic of a university hospital for general health check-up, were included in the study. A questionnaire, in which socio-demographic data and CRC risk factors were questioned, was applied to the participants. The hemogram, FOBT, colonoscopy, and the pathology results of the patients were evaluated. Results: Of 119 participants, 62 (52.1%) were female and 57 (47.9%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 61.0±7.6 years. FOBT was found to be positive in 65 (54.6%) of all participants. Five people (4.2%) who participated in the study were diagnosed with CRC according to the biopsy results obtained during the colonoscopy procedure. In our study, the rate of malignancy detection in all patients with positive FOBT including CRC diagnosis was found to be 7.7% (n=5). Our study detected statistically significant relationships between FOBT positivity and diagnosis of CRC. Conclusion: Following the appropriate recommendations of PHE guidelines and CRC screenings in individuals with high-risk levels, FOBT contributes to early diagnosis and referral to treatment as soon as possible.