The Faecal Occult Blood test, or FOB test, is a Bowel Cancer test designed to detect the presence of faecal occult blood in a stool sample, which is invisible to the naked eye.

The Faecal Occult Blood test is very accurate as it only detects blood of human origin and unlike some other tests is not influenced by the type of food you have eaten.

Faecal Occult Blood may be present from any disorder affecting the gastro-intestinal tract or caused by the taking of drugs that irritate the lining. Bleeding may also come from gums and haemorrhoids.

The collection method is easy to follow and lends itself to a three day collection, with no additional cost for testing.

Sensitivities and specificities for colorectal cancer were calculated to be 56% and 97% for a 1-day method, 83% and 96% for the 2-day method, and 89% and 94% for the 3-day method, respectively, showing a significant difference in sensitivity between the 1-day and the 2-day methods, as well as the 3-day method (p < 0.01), and in specificity between the 1-day as well as the 2-day and 3-day methods (p < 0.05).

These findings indicate that the immunochemical faecal occult blood test is useful for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and that not less than 2-day testing is recommended as a means of screening for colorectal cancer.

Approximately 1 in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.

It is the third most common cancer in the UK with around 37,000 people diagnosed with the condition each year according to Cancer Research UK.

Regular screening using the faecal occult blood test is important to detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms and is recommended as part of your on-going health screening plan.

The faecal occult blood test is included in most of of routine health screening packages as standard.

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