Skip to main content

Fecal Occult Blood Testing Tied to Reduction in Colorectal Cancer Mortality

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 4, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, March 4, 2024 -- Routine screening with fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is associated with a decrease in colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Johannes Blom, M.D., Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues evaluated cancer-specific mortality associated with early versus late or no invitation for routine CRC screening using FOBT. The analysis included 203,670 individuals invited early and 175,778 invited late or not at all (control group).

The researchers found that the mean screening participation rate was 63.3 percent during a maximum of 14 years of follow-up. In the early invitation group, there were 834 CRC deaths in more than 2.19 million person-years versus 889 CRC deaths in roughly 2.25 million person-years in the control group, yielding a lower risk for CRC mortality with CRC screening (rate ratio, 0.86), as well as a lower risk for excess mortality (rate ratio, 0.84).

"Our results have an important public health implication in suggesting that organized population-based CRC screening with FOBT has the potential to save lives worldwide," the authors write. "By using fecal immunochemical testing as a screening test, with a higher sensitivity and participation rate than guaiac-based FOBT, more lives could be saved, but adherence to prompt follow-up colonoscopies after a positive test result is essential."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted March 2024

Read this next

BMI Cutoff of 30 for Obesity May Be Too High for Middle-Aged, Older Adults

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- The optimal body mass index (BMI) cutoff point appears to be 27 kg/m2 for detecting obesity in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study presented...

Emergency Inguinal Hernia Surgery Rates Increased With Lower Country Income

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery, emergency surgery rates increase from high- to low-income countries, according to a study published online...

Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels Higher in Black Than White Women

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels are higher in Black than White pregnant women, supporting the use of accounting for these differences in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.