Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) may be an effective method to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced adenomas, and may be more effective when compared with other screening tests, eg, the guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT). In particular, the HemeSelect, FlexSure OBT, and OC-Sensor Micro FITs demonstrate improved diagnostic performance characteristics compared with gFOBT. All included studies that compared participation rates of FIT with other tests showed that FIT had higher completion rates than the other tests, including gFOBT.
Limitations of the included studies should be considered during decision making. Other things to consider when making decisions about the appropriateness of FIT as a screening tool for CRC include the type of FIT to be used, the associated costs, the appropriate hemoglobin cutoff level, and the capacity for follow-up using colonoscopy (CS) or flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS).