According to new estimates published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University in Sweden, people who participate in colorectal cancer screening may face as much as a 43 percent lower risk of dying from the disease. The findings draw on up to 14 years of follow-up data from the Stockholm-Gotland screening program.
The study compared people invited to screening between 2008 and 2012 with a control group whose members were either invited later or were not invited at all. After accounting for factors that could influence the findings, receiving an invitation to screening was associated with a 26 percent lower risk of dying from colorectal cancer. Among those who actually participated in the screening, the risk was found to be 43 percent lower.
Although screening is offered free of charge and the test is simple to carry out, around a third of people do not submit a sample for testing. The study highlights the importance of taking part in colorectal cancer screening, and shows that it can actually save lives.