New service at Quest Diagnostics

The latest addition to the American Cancer Society’s colorectal cancer screening guidelines is an annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for people at average risk of getting colorectal cancer — generally people 50 years of age and older.

The InSure^® FIT™ test provides a comfortable and convenient way for people to collect specimens to be screened for colorectal cancer and other sources of lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The InSure FIT test includes a collection procedure that replaces other unpleasant fecal collection and smearing procedures. The InSure FIT test does not require people to make any special preparations, such as restricting various foods or stopping medications.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States in men as well as women, according to the
American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society states that a person with colorectal cancer has a greater than 90 percent chance of reaching the five-year survival rate if that person’s cancer is detected early, before it spreads. To date, only 39 percent of colorectal cancers are found at this critical early stage.

You may order a supply of InSure FIT tests for your office, or you can have your patient pick up a test kit at a Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center. The patient collects the sample at home, prepares the cards, completes the submission form provided in the kit, and mails it back to Quest Diagnostics, where it is tested.  

Quest Diagnostics has more than 30 Patient Service Centers conveniently located in six counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Quest Diagnostics is the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, serving more than 145 million patients annually. It is a joint venture partner with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).