Over the last 18 months the Yorkshire Quality assurance group
have been piloting a QA scheme for Occult Blood. As a result of
this the question of sensitivity and interference has been discussed
and investigated at some length. The question to ask is "Why has
an occult blood test been requested?" If the test is to detect Colo-
rectal cancer the sensitivity needs to be less than that to detect
upper intestinal bleeding and in this context a concentration of
1ml/100gms of faeces is appropriate. Initial results of the QA
scheme indicate that many kits can detect levels below 1ml/100gms
(as low as 0.5) and this is probably too sensitive for the investigation
of possible Colo-rectal cancer.
For details of the initial results of the scheme and/or
participation details please contact:
Dr. D. M. Robertshaw.
Biochemistry Department,
Royal Infirmary,
Bradford. BD9 6RJ
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