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By Mayo Clinic staffThe stool DNA test currently available is not approved by the FDA, but it may be prescribe by a doctor under special rules. You'll receive the stool DNA test kit for collecting and submitting your stool sample at your doctor's office or by mail if you order it online. The kit includes a container that attaches to the toilet. After you collect the stool sample, you either return the kit to your doctor or mail it to the lab.
Various methods to improve the ease of stool collection and sampling are under evaluation. These involve either collecting an entire stool in a bucket container or sampling a small portion of stool using a special scoop device. Once collected, the sample would be promptly mailed to a laboratory for testing. The stool DNA test may be repeated every two to five years, but additional research must be done to determine the optimal interval for testing.
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- Screening for colorectal cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2008;149:62.
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- Ahlquist DA, et al. Stool DNA and occult blood testing for screen detection of colorectal neoplasia. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2008;149:441.
- Itzkowitz S, et al. A simplified, noninvasive stool DNA test for colorectal cancer detection. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2008;103:2862.
- Zou H, et al. High detection rates of colorectal neoplasia by stool DNA testing with a novel digital melt curve assay. Gastroenterology. 2009;136:459.
