• The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is the test used in BC Cancer's Colon Screening Program. It measures the amount of blood in your stool sample. An abnormal result means that blood was found in your stool. Blood in the stool suggests an individual is at higher risk of having colon cancer.
• In general, FIT is recommended as a screening test every two years for those ages 50-74 who are of average risk.
  
• If you have an abnormal FIT result, the Colon Screening Program recommends that you have a follow-up colonoscopy. Patients with abnormal FIT results who have their FIT result registered in the program will automatically be referred to their health authority for a pre-colonoscopy assessment. 
• An abnormal FIT result is common. About 10-15 percent of people screened with FIT will have an abnormal result and will require additional testing. An abnormal result does not mean that cancer was found. As patients with an abnormal result are at greater risk for precancerous polyps or cancer, it is important to attend to follow-up procedures.

Yes, if you are due for rescreening, please see your health care provider for a requisition to pick up your FIT. In general, anyone between the ages 50-74 who is not experiencing symptoms, should screen for colon cancer every two years with the FIT.

• ‎The Colon Screening Program recommends that all abnormal FIT results be followed up with a colonoscopy. Even if the second test is normal, the Colon Screening Program recommends follow-up colonoscopy.
  
• No screening test is perfect. Some polyps and/or cancers may have been bleeding at the time of the first FIT but not bleeding when you took the second FIT. Or, the second sample (the negative result) was taken from a part of your stool that had a lesser amount or no blood.
  

An abnormal FIT result means that blood was found in the stool sample that you submitted. Abnormal FIT results are common and do NOT mean that you have cancer.  

‎An abnormal FIT result simply means that blood was found in the stool sample that you submitted. FIT can only tell us that you may be bleeding from somewhere in your lower digestive tract. It cannot tell us from which part or why.

After you have received your abnormal FIT result in the mail, a patient coordinator will contact you. A patient coordinator is a nurse that works with your local health authority. He or she will assess your condition and book a colonoscopy procedure if appropriate, or let you know if other monitoring or treatment is advised.

If you receive an abnormal FIT result, do not repeat the test in hopes of receiving a different result. Even if you receive a normal FIT result on a later test, the recommendation to proceed to colonoscopy would not change. The cause of the blood detected in your original sample still requires further investigation.