Positive stool tests linked to colon and rectal cancer risk
Two positive tests were linked to higher colon and rectal cancer rates than negative tests, with a hazard ratio—a measure of relative rates—of 8.49.
Paper by Tuo Jiayi, Wang Yingying, He Xin et al.
Dose-response
Limit: Positive tests partly detected cancers already present rather than predicting future cancers
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational cohort study followed 427,560 residents aged 50–74 who participated in a cancer screening program in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. Participants took two consecutive fecal immunochemical tests, which look for blood in stool. Follow-up averaged 6.7 years. Researchers assessed cancer diagnoses and deaths across 17 cancer sites.
Compared with negative tests, two positive tests were associated with higher rates of colon and rectal cancer diagnosis and death. The hazard ratio for death from these cancers was 8.27. Risk rose across the negative, single-positive and double-positive groups. The associations persisted in analyses beginning two years after testing. Two positive tests were also linked to upper digestive tract cancer diagnoses; one positive test was linked to deaths from those cancers. Researchers found no significant associations at other cancer sites.
Why it matters
For cancer screening in later adulthood, the authors said the findings support colonoscopy after positive stool tests, especially two positives. They also called for evaluating whether selective upper digestive tract assessment may be beneficial.
Caveats
The observational design cannot establish cause and effect or show whether additional upper digestive tract screening would improve outcomes. The findings concern screening participants aged 50–74 in one Shanghai district, not younger or older people.
- Cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Colorectal cancer incidence
- Upper gastrointestinal cancer
- Upper gastrointestinal cancer incidence
- Humans
The paper
Tuo Jiayi, Wang Yingying, He Xin et al.
Frontiers in Oncology, Oct 30, 2026, CC BY, Accepted, not yet published
