Fecal Occult Blood Testing Discontinuation Guidelines

Age-Based Recommendations

The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Cancer Society recommend that FOBT screening should begin at age 50 for average-risk individuals and continue until age 75 1, 2, 3, 4
The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests that the decision to discontinue FOBT screening should be based on a patient's overall health status and life expectancy 1
The American Cancer Society recommends considering prior screening history when deciding to discontinue FOBT screening 2
The American Cancer Society also suggests weighing the potential benefits versus harms of continued screening 5

The American Cancer Society states that the benefit-to-harm ratio of FOBT screening decreases significantly after age 75 3, 5
The American Cancer Society recommends that individuals with less than 10-year life expectancy are unlikely to benefit from continued screening 2, 4
The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Cancer Society suggest that consistent negative results over previous screenings reduce the likelihood of developing colorectal cancer 1, 2
The American Cancer Society recommends considering significant comorbidities that increase procedural risks or limit life expectancy when deciding to discontinue FOBT screening 3

The American Academy of Family Physicians states that when performed correctly, FOBT can have effectiveness similar to colonoscopy in reducing the risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer 1

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends using high-sensitivity gFOBT (e.g., Hemoccult SENSA) instead of older, lower-sensitivity versions (e.g., Hemoccult II) 1