What should you know about a FIT-DNA stool test?

FIT means faecal immunochemical test. It detects small amounts of blood that may not be visible. The DNA part looks for selected changes released into stool by some bowel growths. A result is a screening signal, not a cancer diagnosis. Blood can have causes other than cancer, and a test may not detect every abnormality. Your clinician interprets the result alongside your age, symptoms, personal history, and family history.

Follow the kit instructions closely, including how to collect the sample without contaminating it with urine or toilet water and how to seal and return it. Ask whether medicines or recent bowel symptoms affect the timing. If the result is positive, arrange the recommended follow-up rather than repeating the home test on your own. A [Colonoscopy](/treatments/cancer-screening/colonoscopy/) may be used to inspect the bowel directly and, when appropriate, remove or sample a growth.

Do not rely on a screening kit to investigate visible blood in the stool, black stools, ongoing change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal pain, or symptoms of anaemia. Contact a clinician promptly about these symptoms. Seek urgent help for heavy rectal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, fainting, or marked weakness.

Ask why this test is being offered, how to collect it, when the result is due, and what follow-up applies to each result. If you have symptoms or a strong family history, ask whether direct assessment is more suitable than a screening stool test.