Andorra Colorectal Cancer Screening Detects 9 New Cases in 2025, Total Reaches 38 Since 2023 Launch
Program targeting 50-74-year-olds saw 28.93% uptake among 6,054 participants in first year of second round, with men showing higher positive FIT rates at 4.8%.
Key Points
- Andorra's colorectal cancer screening detected 9 new cases in 2025, totaling 38 since 2023 launch.
- 6,054 participants (28.93% uptake) in first year of second round from 20,926 invitees.
- Men had higher FIT positivity (4.8%) than women (3.47%); 248 FIT-positive, 188 colonoscopies performed.
- Program targets ages 50-74; early detection emphasized for better cure rates.
Andorra's colorectal cancer screening programme has detected nine cases in 2025, raising the total to 38 since its 2023 launch, the health department announced on World Colorectal Cancer Day.
The programme targets average-risk residents aged 50 to 74—those without personal or family history of the disease. Officials emphasise that early diagnosis boosts cure rates significantly.
In the first year of the second screening round (2025-2026), 6,054 people took part, a 28.93% uptake among the 20,926 invitees from Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, and Andorra la Vella. Parishes of Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany are scheduled for 2026. Uptake rose slightly from prior years, with women participating at 32.48% versus 25.77% for men. Yet men recorded higher positive faecal immunochemical test (FIT) rates for hidden blood, at 4.8% compared to 3.47% for women.
Among participants, 248 tested FIT-positive. Of these, 188 underwent colonoscopies, 30 await the procedure, and the remaining 30 were deemed unsuitable after initial assessment. The colonoscopies identified cancer in nine cases and polyps in 73 others, who will receive follow-up checks in one or three years outside the programme. No intervention is needed for 84 with clear results, who will be reinvited in 10 years if still under 74. Studies are ongoing for 22 more.
Eligible residents receive a personalised invitation letter and collect a FIT kit from their primary care centre (CAP). They prepare the sample at home, date the tube, refrigerate it, and return it within three days. The CAP forwards it to a lab. Negative results lead to reinvitation in two years; invalid samples prompt repeats. Positive cases receive a call from the Andorran Health Care Service (SAAS) screening unit to arrange a colonoscopy if suitable.
Clear colonoscopies qualify patients for retesting in 10 years; other findings trigger specialist pathways. All results feed into medical records.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: