Colon Cancer (Screening)

One Possible Cause of False-Positives in Guaiac Test Identified

Published in Cancer Weekly, August 24th, 1998

Many of the erroneous results from the cheapest and most common screening method for colon cancer are caused by bleeding above the colon, a Duke University Medical Center researcher has found.

Such colon cancer screening is often recommended for all Americans over the age of 50. The test uses guaiacum, a substance derived from tropical trees that reacts with substances in blood and turns blue.

Physicians have debated the effectiveness of the guaiac test, which detects the presence of occult, or hidden, blood in the feces. On one hand, several large studies have demonstrated that the test saves lives by finding cancers early. But many patients with...

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Source: Cancer Weekly (1998-08-24)

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