The EU Commission recommends that screening for colon cancer should begin as early as 50 years of age. But the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden wants to maintain the age limit of 60 years that currently applies for screening tests every other year.
The proposal to maintain the screening age receives criticism from medical professionals. Marie-Louise Lydrup, chair of the national care program group for colon and rectal cancer, tells Läkartidningen that the National Board of Health and Welfare has based its decision on the same studies as when the previous recommendations were made in 2014.
It is very remarkable that the state of evidence is interpreted so differently in Sweden compared to the rest of Europe, she says.
Already in 2023, statistics from the National Board of Health and Welfare showed that colon and rectal cancer had become more common in people under 50 years.
I am surprised that they come to this conclusion considering the current state of evidence, says Anna Martling, professor of surgery at the Karolinska Institute, to Sveriges Radio's Ekot.
The National Board of Health and Welfare bases its decision on the fact that it does not believe that mortality will decrease through a lowering of the screening age.
A screening program is also a prioritization of resources, and it is extremely important to ensure that we get an effect on disease and mortality so that we can justify taking resources from other parts of healthcare, says investigator Malin Berggrund to Ekot.
The proposal is out for review.
