Each EZ Detect™ is for one user.

The kit contains: A foil pouch containing five test tissues. One positive control package. One patient instruction sheet. One test result post card.

There are enough test tissues to test 3 consecutive bowel movements. The positive control package includes a chemical that assures the product is functioning properly in the home (note: this chemical may cause irritation if not handled properly). A result card is also provided to record results. While the test does not require a physician’s visit, it is recommended that results be recorded with the physician for future reference.

How the test works

The EZ Detect™ fecal occult blood test consists of a biodegradable tissue-paper-film coated with a chromogenic dye (TMB) and peroxide. The film is in the shape of a cross on the test tissue. Colorectal disorders such as cancer, cause blood to be present on the outside of the stool due to irritated polyps that have formed in the colon. This blood disperses onto the surface of the toilet water. The heme portion of hemoglobin, present in blood, oxidizes the tetramethylbenzidine that is on the test strip resulting in a blue-green color change.

EZ Detect™ has a higher compliance rate than other similar tests because there is no stool handling.

What to do if the result is positive?

If the test is positive (test is positive if any discoloration appears in the test area of the pad), it is likely that there is a presence of blood in the stool above the level of a normal, healthy individual. While it is important to immediately see a physician with any suspicious symptom in your health, it is also important not to panic. Something as minor as an unknown hemorrhoid could be the culprit. Although there are occasional false positives with the test, do not dismiss the test results. In addition to notifying the physician, consider contacting a gastroenterologist (a specialist in digestive health matters) for follow-up and further screening, such as a colonoscopy.

Some of the known drugs that cause or affect intestinal bleeding are: aspirin and other analgesic drugs, indomethacin, phenlybutazone, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, reserpine, butazolidine, premorin, and persantine. These drugs may produce gastrointestinal bleeding that cause positive test results.

Colon (colorectal) cancer, often called the “silent killer” ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Colon cancer affects both men and women about equally and kills more people annually than either breast cancer or prostate cancer.

Over 50,000 Americans will die of colorectal cancer this year, but more than 16,000 of these deaths could be avoided if everyone age 50 or older received regular screening tests. Colon cancer deaths could be almost eliminated if those at risk would talk to their family and physicians about colon cancer and take action to prevent colon cancer.

Some reasons for such a high death rate are: neglect, lack of awareness, lack of media attention, embarrassment, the “yuck” factor, and too few people taking an active role in monitoring their own health to prevent this disease. Whatever the reason, the good news is that no one has to die from colon cancer. With over a 90 percent cure rate when detected early, colon cancer is both preventable and treatable. Early detection through screening is the key.

Prevention of colon cancer and other digestive disorders starts with you. It requires that you take an active role in your health. That means know the basics: 1) the early warning signs and symptoms of colon cancer, 2) whether you have a family history of cancer requiring earlier screening measures, 3) the different screening methods that are available, and 4) the best screening tests to use. Having an active role in your health also requires that you have an active dialog with your health care provider, and that you engage in regular screenings.

Healthy eating habits and lifestyle can be useful prevention measures, but scientific evidence clearly weighs in favor of a regular regimen of screening as the best and most reliable form of colon cancer prevention. The goal of screening is to detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps (the source of nearly all colon cancers). A simple screening regimen can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Although colon cancer can strike with no warning signs, one of the most frequent (and commonly the only) warning sign is blood in the stool from bleeding polyps. Too often this sign goes unnoticed because the blood is not visible to the human eye, or this sign is not acted upon. A normal, healthy individual does not bleed internally. If there is internal bleeding, resulting in either hidden or visible traces of blood in the stool, this can be a sign of colon cancer or other digestive health problem that requires immediate medical attention.