All 55-year-olds in Norway will be invited to participate in the bowel cancer screening program over the next few years.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Each year around 4500 people get bowel cancer, and around 1600 die from the disease. It is important that the disease is detected early so that treatment can be started quickly.
“We are delighted to mark the start of a nationwide gut screening program. All the first participants received invitations and we can see that the invitations and logistics are working, says the leader of the program management group and deputy director of Helse Sør-East RHF, Jan Frich.
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Data from the Cancer Registry shows that if bowel cancer is found early, it has more than a 95 percent chance of a cure.
- The aim of this screening program is the early detection of bowel cancer. In this way, more people can survive the disease and the need for intensive treatment will be reduced, says head of the Bowel Screening Section of the Cancer Registry, Kristin Ranheim Randel.
Colonoscopy as a primary screening test
W screening program intestines, 55-year-olds will be offered a stool sample analysis every two years until they turn 65. Participants collect a sample at home and send it to the laboratory at Akershus University Hospital for analysis. If blood above a certain amount is found, the participant will be offered a bowel examination (colonoscopy). The gradual introduction of colonoscopy as the primary screening method is planned.
The first invitations were sent to 55-year-olds in Østfold and Vestre Viken in May this year. The offer will be gradually implemented throughout the country over the next year.
Source: Helse Sør-Øst RHF
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