Patients who did not have a colonoscopy as recommended after a positive fecal occult blood test had a 103% higher risk of death, compared with those who had a colonoscopy. The cumulative mortality for CRC was 6.8 per 1,000 (95% CI, 5.9-7.6) for compliant patients and 16 per 1,000 (95% CI, 13.1-18.9) for noncompliant patients over 10 years, the authors wrote.