What is a positive hemoccult test®?

A positive test result is when the Test® indicates that there is occult (not visible to the naked eye) blood in the stool (the test can also detect visible blood deposits on the stool, as it only determines whether there is blood in the stool). Therefore, a positive test® is initially a sign that further tests should be followed. Subsequently, for example, a colonoscopy is performed, which can provide more precise information about the presence of intestinal cancer.

Do you have blood in your stool? The-Test® is based on the principle that the presence of even small amounts of blood in the stool can be detected. Therefore the® test is always positive if there is blood in the stool.

This can have different causes. For example, bleeding can occur throughout the entire digestive tract. This does not only affect the large intestine and rectum.

The small intestine or stomach can also bleed due to changes in the mucous membranes and thus cause a positive Haemocult® test. Frequently, a positive test result is also obtained due to bleeding in the esophagus or mucous membrane bleeding in the mouth. Those who had a nosebleed only a short time before the test was performed can also expect a positive Haemocult test®.

In contrast to earlier tests, however, the quality of the cancer screening test has improved. Before the-Test®, the so-called Guajak-Test® existed, which was also intended to examine the bowel movement for traces of blood. However, the Guaiac Test® could not distinguish between human blood (from the digestive tract) and animal blood or muscle components (which enter the gastrointestinal tract when eating meat products) and therefore led to positive results significantly more often than the Haemoccult Test®, which had to be followed up in further investigations.

The consequences of a positive test initially only consist in the performance of further tests. The-Test® is designed to detect as much blood in the stool as possible. This leads to the fact that few diseases are overlooked, but many incidentally positive findings are also found in people who are not ill.

Therefore, another form of preventive examination follows: colonoscopy. In this procedure, a small camera attached to a guide wire is inserted through the anus into the rectum and from there into the colon. The camera can be used to detect changes in the inner wall of the colon.

If necessary, a tissue sample can be taken directly, which can then be examined for malignant changes. If no abnormalities are detected in this examination, cancer of the intestinal sections is very unlikely. The result of the Haemocult Test® indicates with very high certainty the actual presence of blood in the stool. A high so-called sensitivity and specificity of the test means that almost all people with blood in their stool are detected and only a few false positive test results are found. However, blood in the stool can indicate many different diseases and causes of bleeding and is therefore by no means the same as the presence of a (cancer) disease.