I completed the FOBT and the result is abnormal. Where could the blood be coming from?
• An abnormal result usually means that the test detected blood. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there is cancer. • The chance of cancer or polyps is about 20%. There are other reasons for an abnormal result: • You may have non-cancerous polyps, an inflamed colon, hemorrhoids, an anal fissure, or a stomach ulcer that is bleeding. • You may have eaten something (for example red meat) or taken medications (for example aspirin) that caused the test result to be abnormal. • The FOBT is not perfect: It may say there is blood when there really is none.
