Comparison of sensitivities for colorectal cancer between the guaian-based fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and an immunochemical FOBT.

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This study was conducted to compare sensitivity of immunochemical fecal occult blood test(IFOBT) with that of guaiac FOBT. Subjects were 2858 individuals who underwent colonoscopy as part of a multiphasic health examination and 523 outpatients without bloody stool who underwent colonoscopy at a gastrointestinal unit because of abdominal symptoms. Positive results were obtained in 151 and 338 subjects with IFOBT and FOBT, respectively. Cancer was found in 10 individuals and 6 outpatients.IFOBT gave positive results in 10 out of 16 patients with colorectal cancer, while guaiac FOBT did 5 out of 16. Sensitivities were calculated to be 63% and 31% for IFOBT and FOBT, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in sensitivity between the two tests (p=0.08) probably due to a smaller sample size and a lower proportion of first-time screenees (approximately 10%) than those expected at the beginning of this study. IFOBT was suggested to be higher in sensitivities than FOBT, however, a larger sample size will be needed to obtain significant results showing it.