A client who has had fecal occult blood testing tells the nurse that the test was negative for colon cancer and wishes to cancel a colonoscopy scheduled for the next day. Which is the nurse's best response?
a. "I will call and cancel the test for tomor-row."
b. "You need two negative fecal occult blood tests."
c. "This does not rule out the possibility of colon cancer."
d. "You should wait at least a week to have the colonoscopy."
C
A negative result does not completely rule out the possibility of colon cancer. To determine whether the client has colon cancer, a colonoscopy should be performed, so the entire colon can be visualized and a tissue sample taken for biopsy. The client need not wait a week before the colonoscopy. Two negative fecal occult blood tests do not rule out the presence of colorectal cancer (CRC).
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