How a stool test can help find colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Canada, yet over 90% of colorectal cancers are successfully treated when caught early. Screening for colorectal cancer is easy and convenient. It starts with a stool test that checks your poop (stool) for blood.
Sure, testing poop doesn’t sound like fun. But it could find colorectal cancer early – it’s that simple. Colorectal cancer responds best to treatment when it is found and treated early. Treatment is most effective before the disease spreads outside of the colon.
Stool tests
Polyps or tumours in the colon have blood vessels that can release a small amount of blood onto the stool (poop) when it passes by. Stool tests check for this hidden (occult) blood, which you can’t see with your eyes.
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is used in Canada to screen for colorectal cancer.
The FIT uses specific antibodies to find traces of blood in the stool.
For the FIT, you collect the stool sample at home and place it on a collection card or in a container. Depending on where you live, you then take or mail the sample to a medical lab. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the test kit. Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions.
If blood is found in your stool
If a stool test shows traces of blood in your stool, you will need to have more tests to find out where the bleeding is coming from and why. Your healthcare provider may send you for one of these tests:
Other reasons for having blood in the stool
Having blood in your stool doesn’t always mean that you have polyps or cancer. Blood may come from the colon or from other parts of the digestive tract, such as the stomach or anus. The bleeding can be caused by:
- ulcers – sores on the lining of your digestive tract
- hemorrhoids – enlarged or swollen veins of the anus and rectum
- diverticulosis – small pouches or sacs that form in the lining of the colon
- inflammatory bowel disease – inflammation of the colon (also called ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
Your trusted source for accurate cancer information
With support from readers like you, we can continue to provide the highest quality cancer information for over 100 types of cancer.
We’re here to ensure easy access to accurate cancer information for you and the millions of people who visit this website every year. But we can’t do it alone.
Every donation helps fund reliable cancer information, compassionate support services and the most promising research. Please give today because every contribution counts. Thank you.