Selfcheck Faecal Immunochemical Test

Faecal immunochemical tests are also used in NHS bowel cancer screening programmes, where you collect a poo sample at home and post to an NHS hospital lab for analysis. The NHS screening service is free, and offered to everyone aged 50 to 74 in the UK. A positive FIT result only means that blood has been detected in the sample and is not by itself a diagnosis of bowel cancer. 

There are many reasons why blood might be detected in your poo and a positive result will be followed up by your doctor with additional tests to find out why.

If you have symptoms, or are anxious about your health, always speak with your doctor.

How does SELFCHECK compare with the NHS FIT test?

This SELFCHECK test has a detection limit of 40µg Hb/g faeces which is more sensitive than current NHS bowel screening programs, but it is important to keep in mind that the lower the detection limit of a medical test, the greater the chances are of a false positive result, causing unnecessary worry and further investigations. According to Cancer Research UK (7 October 2024), the FIT screening threshold is 80 µg Hb/g in Scotland and Wales, and 120 µg Hb/g in England and Northern Ireland.

There are plans across the UK to reduce the FIT screening threshold in order to detect more bowel cancers early. Your doctor may use a test that is more sensitive than those used for screening if you have symptoms that might be related to bowel cancer.

The SELFCHECK test gave 93% agreement when compared with laboratory tests for the detection of blood in a faecal sample.

Simple hygienic sample collection

The SELFCHECK test requires only a tiny amount of stool sample, and uses the faecal immunochemical test method (FIT) to give you an easy-to-read visual result in around 10 minutes at home.

Colon polyps are known to bleed intermittently, which means that testing on one occasion might lead to a false negative result. The SELFCHECK test allows you to collect three samples on three different days, increasing the chances of detecting blood in your stool sample. The test kit contains one test device which is used after the third sample has been collected. Full, easy-to-follow instructions are provided with your test kit.

What a result will tell you?

Screening tests are not meant to be used if you already have symptoms. Speak with your doctor.

If you get a negative result, this means that the amount of blood in the sample at the time of testing was lower than the cut-off. No medical test by itself, whether used at home or in a hospital laboratory, will be 100% accurate. If you have symptoms, then you must still speak with your doctor.

If you get a positive result, this means that the amount of blood detected at the time of testing was higher than the cut-off. You should speak with your doctor, tell them that you got a positive result, and take along the instruction leaflet which has additional information about your test for health care professionals.