Kits-on-Hand (KOH) Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Instructions

• Try to do your FIT as soon as possible (or within two days). If you wait too long, you might have to do it again.
• Tip: Putting the FIT kit near the toilet can help you remember to do your test.
• Check the expiry month and year on the back of the FIT tube label (to the right of the hourglass and to the left of the LOT date). The lab will not be able to test your FIT after the last day of that month.
• If your FIT kit is expiring soon, make sure you send your completed FIT to the lab at least 2 weeks before the expiry date. If your FIT kit has expired, tell the person who gave you the FIT kit.
• Carefully check the label on the FIT tube to make sure your name and date of birth are correct. If they are missing, write it in. If they are wrong, tell the person who gave you the FIT kit.

• If you see blood in your poop, in the toilet bowl or on the toilet paper when you wipe, speak to your health care provider because you may need other tests. Your health care provider may do a physical exam and may ask you to see a specialist to have a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy instead.
• If you are bleeding from diagnosed hemorrhoids or are menstruating (having a period), wait until you have stopped bleeding for 3 days before you do your FIT. If you are bleeding more often than every 3 days, talk to your health care provider to see if FIT is the right test for you.

Planning when to do your FIT

• Planning is important: Try to do your FIT when you can get it back to In-Common Laboratories (ICL) as soon as possible. If you plan to mail your completed FIT back to ICL, please do not mail it over a long weekend or during a postal service interruption.
• Tip: Putting the FIT kit near the toilet can help you remember to do your test
• If you are bleeding from diagnosed hemorrhoids or are menstruating (having a period), wait until you have stopped bleeding for 3 days before you do your FIT.
• Once you are ready to do your FIT, write the poop collection date on the FIT device label with a blue or black pen. Please fill out the day, month and year like this: 02/MAY/2026

• It is best to flush the toilet before you take the test to get rid of any chemicals or urine (pee) from the toilet.
• If you have to urinate (pee), try to urinate and flush the toilet before unfolding and placing the stool collection paper (the thin piece of paper that comes with your FIT kit) on top of the toilet water. If your toilet has a cleaning product that stays in the bowl, like a puck or a different built-in toilet cleaner, you should take out the cleaning product first or use another toilet.
• Unfold the stool collection paper and place it on top of the toilet water before you poop. This paper will help prevent your stool (poop) from touching too much of the toilet water. You can flush the paper down the toilet after you collect your poop. The stool collection paper is biodegradable and safe to use in septic systems.
• If you prefer, instead of using the stool collection paper, you can place several layers of toilet paper on top of the toilet water or use a clean disposable container, like a paper plate, to take your poop sample. You can also use a collection tool (sometimes called a toilet hat or collection hat) that you can get from any health care office.

Collecting the poop

• To collect your poop, drag the FIT stick along the part of your poop that is not touching the toilet water. Make sure the poop covers all the grooves at the end of the stick, but the poop should not go past the grooves. Be sure to twist the cap closed tightly so the FIT tube does not leak.
• Shake the FIT tube.
• If you have not done so already, write the poop collection date on the FIT tube label with a blue or black pen. Please fill out the day, month and year like this: 02/MAY/2026.
• Put the FIT tube into the plastic bag and seal it.
• Put the completed FIT in the plastic bag into the yellow return envelope.

Returning Your Completed FIT

• It is important to return your completed FIT as soon as possible or you may have to do the test again. Planning is important: Try to do your FIT at a time when you can return it quickly.
• If you picked up your FIT kit from a nursing station or health centre, follow the return instructions they gave you.
• If you plan to mail your completed FIT back to In-Common Laboratories (ICL), be aware of possible mailing delays, such as long weekends or postal service interruptions. You can drop off your completed FIT at any Rexall If you have questions about how to return your completed FIT, ask the person who gave you your FIT.

Storing Your Completed FIT

• If you cannot return your completed FIT right away, you can keep it in the fridge for a short period of time. Remember, even if your sample is stored in the fridge, ICL must get it as soon as possible.
• Make sure the FIT kit does not get hot. For example, do not store it in the glove compartment of a parked car.
• Tip: Put your FIT where you can see it, so that you remember to return it as soon as possible.

• After you mail or drop off your completed FIT, you can expect to get your FIT result by mail from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario). The person who gave you the FIT kit will contact you with your test result.
• If your FIT result is abnormal, it does not necessarily mean that you have colon cancer, but it does mean that you need more testing. ColonCancerCheck recommends that people with an abnormal FIT result have a test called a colonoscopy within 8 weeks. For more information on abnormal FIT results and colonoscopy, see the Abnormal FIT Result Frequently Asked Questions page.
• If your test result is normal, you should do another FIT in 2 years. Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) will mail you a letter every two years until you are age seventy-four reminding you to do the FIT.
• If In-Common Laboratories (ICL) cannot get a result from your test, please tell the person who gave you the FIT kit as soon as you get a letter asking you to do a new FIT.

• If there are any problems with your FIT kit (for example, if your FIT is lost or damaged), tell the person who gave you the FIT kit.