World Digestive Health Day: Early Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers

May 29 is World Digestive Health Day. First launched in 2004, World Digestive Health Day has been a long-running campaign, organized by the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) and WGO Foundation. World Digestive Health Day aims to raise awareness and provide resources and tools for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.

For this year of WDHD, let us emphasize the early diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and cancers of the oesophagus, stomach and bowel – collectively known as GI cancer – are amongst the most common cancers globally.

The overall 5-year survival rate for bowel cancer is 65%, but this can increase to 90% when detected early. Screenings are a crucial component of early detection as they can identify individuals who may have abnormalities associated with certain types of cancers, even without any noticeable symptoms being present. This helps to detect bowel cancer at an earlier stage when it is easier to treat.

The fecal occult blood (FOB) test is a lab test used to check stool samples for hidden (occult) blood. An FOBT finds blood in the stool that you cannot see. Blood in the stool may be a sign of colorectal cancer or another medical problem, such as an ulcer or polyps. FOBTs are one type of screening tool that doctors use to find colorectal cancer because it is easy and non-invasive as all it requires is a stool sample. Regular colorectal cancer screenings are recommended for people age 45 and older. In the UK the NHS sends out free home FOB test kits every two years to individuals aged 60 – 74 as a simple way of screening for bowel cancer.

InTec offers the fecal occult blood POC tests with excellent sensitivity and accuracy as well as a comprehensive test panel for GI diseases including Rotavirus, Adenovirus and H.pylori.

Highlights of InTec FOB test kits:

- Detect trace amounts of human fecal occult blood as low as 0.2µg/mL.

- Sensitivity: 98%; Specificity: 98.5%

- Easy-to-interpret results in 5 minutes.

- No diet or drug restrictions before testing.

- Store and transfer at room temperature.

- 24-month shelf life.

Performance Characteristics:

Sensitivity

The Rapid Fecal Occult Blood (FOB) Test can detect hemoglobin in human feces with concentration of 0.2µg/ml or greater.

Accuracy

In a comparison of the InTec FOB test versus a leading commercial FOB rapid test, results gave sensitivity of 98% (100/102), a specificity of 98.5% (202/205), and a total agreement of 98.3% (302/307).

Ordering Information

*Specimen: WB=Whole Blood, S=Serum, P=Plasma