Screening: Many Skip Follow-Up Tests for Colon Cancer

Almost half of patients who undergo fecal blood tests to screen for colon and rectal cancer fail to follow up with a repeat test within two years as recommended, a new study reports.

The test, which requires a stool sample that patients can take themselves and mail to a laboratory, is simple, inexpensive and supported by medical evidence.

But it loses its effectiveness if patients do not adhere to regular repeat screenings, according to the authors of the study, being published in Annals of Family Medicine.

“This is not just a one-time deal,” said the lead author, Dr. Joshua J. Fenton, assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, Davis. “It’s a lot like a mammogram or a Pap smear — it’s a test that you need to do on a regular basis if you want it to give you the benefit you’re looking for, reducing your risk of dying of colon cancer.”

The study looked at 48,721 insured members of a health plan in Washington State who were 52 to 78 years old on Jan. 1, 2002. Of the 11,110 who had the so-called fecal occult blood test during an initial observation period, nearly half — 46.8 percent — had neither a repeat test nor any other form of follow-up colorectal cancer screening.