A Prospective Study of a New Immunological Fecal Occult Blood Test
A Prospective Study of a New Immunological Fecal Occult Blood Test
The purpose of the investigators study is to evaluate the diagnostic ability of a new
 immunological fecal occult blood test in Cuban patients undergoing colonoscopy .
Colorectal cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths in many countries. Therefore, the
 importance of screening for the early detection of colorectal cancer is evident. Fecal occult
 blood screening is proving to be an effective tool for detecting premalignant adenomas and
 colon cancer since the guaiac-based test was introduced in the late 1960s. However, several
 immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (IFOBTs) have become commercially available and the
 majority of these have demonstrated equal or superior sensitivities and specificities than
 the guaiac-based tests. Therefore, IFOBTs are replacing guaiac based tests despite their
 higher costs.In this study we evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new IFOBT and compare
 with the findings on colonoscopy.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients (men or women) that are >18 years of age referred to colonoscopy.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Visible rectal bleeding

 -  Known diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease

 -  Hematuria

 -  Menstruation at the time of obtaining a stool specimen

 -  Patients taking medication such as non steroids anti inflammatory drugs and
 anticoagulants