Previous randomized studies suggest that fecal occult blood test (FOBT) screening can reduce mortality from colorectal cancer (CRC). Our aim was to review the current status of FOBTs in CRC screening. FOB is measured using either the traditional guaiac-based tests or more recently introduced fecal immunochemical tests (FITs). FITs have several advantages over guaiac-based FOBTs, including higher sensitivity and specificity, resulting in improved clinical performance and higher efficiency. Another advantage in population screening according to European Guidelines for quality assurance in CRC screening is that FITs can be automated and user can adjust the cutoff at which a positive result is reported. In population-based screening, all those testing positively with any FOBT should be referred for colonoscopy. Conclusion: Although a plethora of FOBTs are available on the market, relatively few have been extensively tested for clinical sensitivity and specificity in CRC screening. Current data imply that new FITs have superior test characteristics as compared with guaiac-based FOBTs. The latest development in the field is represented by the proteomic-based tests that may further reduce false-negative rates in CRC screening. Simple stool sample preservation and automatic analysis are other important issues in population-based screening for CRC. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with over 1.3 million new cases and over 600,000 deaths each year (1). In Finland, the incidence of CRC is lower than in many Western countries but mortality is quite similar, reflecting a mortality-to-incidence ratio disparity in Finland. During the 3-year period of 2015 to 2017, incident CRC was encountered in 4,577 women and in 5,131 in men, with an estimated annual average of 3,236 new CRC cases (2). After lung cancer, CRC is the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men and women combined in Finland (2). The majority of CRCs develop from adenomas or adenomatous polyps and several studies have shown the efficacy of screening for detection of large adenomas. CRC screening can achieve the goals of both primary prevention (by detecting cancer precursors: polyps, adenomas) and secondary prevention (by detecting early cancers) (3, 4). Thus, organized CRC screening offers a possibility for cancer prevention and early detection of cancer, with reduced mortality (5, 6). Although a plethora of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) are available on the market, relatively few of them have been extensively tested for clinical sensitivity and specificity in CRC screening. The main aim for the use of FOBTs is to reduce CRC mortality (7-11). European Guidelines for quality assurance in CRC screening recommend fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) because FITs have improved test characteristics compared to guaiac-based FOBTs (gFOBTs) (12) (Table I). The most commonly used CRC screening tests include flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and FOBT (13, 14). Lin et al. reviewed literature and found four randomized clinical trials...