An at-home test that looks for hidden blood in a person's stool can identify most colon cancers, Reuters reported.

After reviewing 19 studies, researchers found the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is able to detect 79 percent of colon tumors, and were very good at ruling out the cancer without making people change their diets or stop taking their medications, as some other screening tests require, Reuters reported.

"It's more user friendly for the patient," Dr. Jeffrey Lee of the University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research told Reuters Health.

Lee and his colleagues reported their findings in the Feb. 4 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

For the study, researchers searched databases of medical research for studies from 1996 through 2013 that looked at the effectiveness of FIT. Nineteen studies were included in their final analysis. Each study included between about 100 and 28,000 people with no symptoms of colon cancer, Reuters reported.

FIT detected 79 percent of colon cancers after one test. Among people who didn't have colon cancer, 94 percent tested negative.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2010, about 132,000 people were diagnosed with the disease and about 52,000 died from it.

It is recommended that people at average risk of colon cancer start getting screened at age 50. They can choose from several options, including yearly stool tests followed by a colonoscopy. If the results are positive, a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy follows. A colonoscopy is recommended every 10 years and a sigmoidoscopy, every five years; both are invasive procedures that inspect the interior of the colon, HealthDay reported.

Lee told Reuters he believes FIT could lead to a greater reduction in colon cancer deaths.