FIT (FOBT)

The CRC Screening is targeting healthy persons who are not currently suspected of having cancer. It must be repeated at regular intervals, starting from the age which is facing a high cancer risk. The CRC Screening can reduce cancer mortality by early detection and appropriate treatment of cancer.
It is reported that a colorectal cancer risk becomes higher for the persons over 40 years old. It is recommendable for those persons to get CRC Screening once a year.

In the CRC Screening process, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) checks the presence or absence of blood in stool. CRC causes bleeding from adenomas of 10 mm long or more, and therefore FIT can be a key for efficient detection.
FIT is a physically non-invasive test which includes guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT). The gFOBT is easily affected by food intake and drugs, and a food restriction is required when persons get the gFOBT. FIT is almost less affected by food intake and drugs, since it detects particularly hemoglobin in human blood. So, FIT became rapidly popular, since food and drug restrictions are not required before the test.

In FIT, examinees scrape the surface of stool with a stick for a fecal collection picker, collect a small amount of stool, and put it in the picker.
In case of equipment measurement, occult blood in stool is measured with an automated FIT analyzer in a laboratory.

In the next step of CRC screening, persons who are found positive by FIT must get an endoscopy (colonoscopy) exam to check the presence or absence of polyps and cancer in a direct way.
Canon Medical Diagnostics is sponsoring World Endoscopy Organization (WEO) for its colorectal cancer eradication campaign and proceeding activities to expand the CRC screening program.

Source: "Guideline for Colorectal Cancer Screening"
Publisher: Igaku Shoin
Editor: Colorectal Cancer Screening System Management Committee