1999 Volume 32 Issue 5 Pages 1184-1191
Among patients with colorectal cancer who underwent resection during the last 15 years, 101 cases were detected by positive fecal occult blood tests (occult blood group) and 578 cases were detected by symptoms (symptomatic group). The number of cases in the occult blood broup has increased, but that of the symptomatic group has remained at the same level for the last six years. In the symptomatic group, the incidence of early or mp cancer tended to be lower in right-sided colon (right-sided colon 8.5%, left-sided colon 17.1%, rectum 35.9%). However, in the occult blood group, the incidence of early or mp cancer was more than 50% for all tumor locations. In the early and mp cancer, the ratio of occult blood group tended to be higher in the rightsided colon than in the left-sided colon or in the rectum. These results suggest that the fecal occult blood test can be useful in screening for early detection of right-sided colon cancer.
