Occult blood in the feces for the early diagnosis of tumors of the digestive system

: Mortality from colon-rectal cancer is rising steadily in Italy; of malignant tumours, those of the nitestine come second after those of the lung. Hence the ned for early diagnosis based on the search for occult blood in the stools. This test takes on important significance for screening purposes in subjects at risk. Alongside diagnosis it is important to effect primary prevention diet, food and environmental factors). A negative result of the identification of occult blood in the stools absolutely does not exclude tumour of the intestinal tract. A positive finding, on the other hand, does not necessarily confirm the presence of a tumour. Such an investigation was carried out at the Analysis Laboratory of the Sant'Antonio di Ovada Hospital, Health Unit 74, in the period between October '87 and June '88. The samples were taken from hospitalised patients and from out-patients. The samples from hospitalised patients totalled 324 and 20 proved positive for occult blood; of the out-patient samples (176), positivity was observed in 12. Hospitalised patients were recontrolled and results were confirmed positive. The out-patients did not present for further controls.