[Clinical usefulness of fecal occult blood test as a screening method for asymptomatic patients with colon polyps].
OBJECTIVE
Detection of asymptomatic benign colon polyp is increasing because colonoscopy is widely used as a screening and diagnostic method. Fecal occult blood test is usually performed for the selection of patients requiring colonoscopy as well as mass screening for colon cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of fecal occult blood test performed prior to colonoscopy as a screening method of benign colon polyps.


METHODS
Clinical characteristics of patients with polyps were evaluated according to the fecal occult blood test results in patients who underwent one-day fecal occult blood test and colonoscopic polypectomies from May 2003 to October 2004, retrospectively.


RESULTS
A total of 942 colonoscopic polypectomies in 288 patients were evaluated. Fecal occult blood tests were positive only in 32 patients (11.1%). In univariate analysis, there was a significant difference in polyp size (p=0.02) and location (p=0.03) according to the presence of positive fecal occult blood tests. In addition, age of the patient (p=0.046), polyp size (mean, p=0.04; largest, p<0.01) and the number of polyps (p=0.045) were significantly different. However, in multivariate analysis, only polyp size larger than 20 mm was significantly related with positive fecal occult blood test with estimated odds ratio of 4.71.


CONCLUSIONS
Fecal occult blood test has limitations as a screening test in asymptomatic patients with colon polyps, except for colon polyps larger than 20 mm in size.
Lee
Sang Huyb
SH
Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Kyoung Soo
KS
Lee
Jong Yeul
JY
Ji
Jeong Hoon
JH
Park
Joo Kyung
JK
Park
Young Soo
YS
Hwang
Jin-Hyeok
JH
Kim
Jin Wook
JW
Jung
Sook Hyang
SH
Kim
Nayoung
N
Lee
Dong Ho
DH
Kim
Sang Gyun
SG
Kim
Joo Sung
JS
Jung
Hyun Chae
HC
Song
In Sung
IS
D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009780:Occult Blood; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity