Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the country. Around 7,500 people are affected each year. The earlier the cancer is detected, the greater the chance treatment will be effective and survival will increase.
New figures show that the proportion of cases detected at the earliest stage has increased by 45 percent since 2019 among those invited for screening. Among those not invited, the corresponding figure is 7 percent.
The Swedish Cancer Foundation, which has compiled the figures from national quality registers, is pleased with the news.
This shows that the screening program is really beneficial, says Ulrika Årehed Kågström.
May be missing symptoms
Colorectal cancer rarely causes symptoms in the early stages, but this is when treatment is most effective and also gentler. By taking part in screening, precancerous stages and early-stage cancer can be found.
The National Board of Health and Welfare recommended screening for people between 60 and 74 years of age back in 2014. The regions are responsible for implementing it, and some have offered it for a long time. However, it is only this year that all regions offer it to all relevant age groups.
"It's terrible that it has taken this long. It shows there should be a national responsibility for sending out and analysing the samples," says Ulrika Årehed Kågström.
Every two years
The screening consists of a self-test that is sent out every two years in the form of a stool sample that is done at home and sent in for analysis. If the sample shows signs of, for example, blood, further examination will be required, including a bowel examination - a colonoscopy.
"The figures show that it is important that everyone who receives the envelope with the test kit actually does the test. It is simple and the answer comes quickly," says Ulrika Årehed Kågström.
Nearly three times as many people under the age of 50 in Sweden are now developing colorectal cancer compared to the early 1990s, according to a study from the Karolinska Institute. The causes are not clear, but childhood obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and antibiotic use have been highlighted as contributing factors.
In some countries, people are screened from the age of 50. In December 2025, the National Board of Health and Welfare declined to expand screening to include younger people, but the government has tasked the National Board of Health and Welfare with reviewing the guidelines for, among other things, screening for colon and rectal cancer.
Everyone between the ages of 60 and 74 is offered the opportunity to participate in screening programs for colorectal cancer.
People invited will receive a letter offering to take a sample. The letter contains a sample tube, instructions and a return envelope. The sample is taken at home and sent in the return envelope.
The sample is analyzed for traces of blood in the stool. If the test is positive, a colonoscopy is offered.
Source: 1177, Regional Cancer Centers
