Andorra Colorectal Cancer Screening Detects 9 Cases in 2025, Total 38 Since 2023
Program for ages 50-74 achieves 28.93% uptake in first year of second round, with men showing higher positive FIT rates; early detection via colonoscopies confirms cancers and polyps.
Key Points
- Andorra's colorectal screening detected 9 cancers in 2025, total 38 since 2023.
- 28.93% uptake in first year of second round, with 6,054 participants out of 20,926 invitees.
- Men had higher FIT positive rate (4.8%) vs women (3.47%); 9 cancers, 73 polyps found in colonoscopies.
- Program targets ages 50-74; early detection emphasized for better cure rates.
Andorra's colorectal cancer screening programme has identified nine cases in 2025, raising the total to 38 since its start in 2023, according to health ministry data released on World Colorectal Cancer Day, March 31.
The programme serves average-risk residents aged 50 to 74—those without personal or family history of colorectal cancer, with age as their only risk factor. Detecting the disease at early stages significantly boosts cure rates, ministry officials emphasise.
In the first year of the second screening round (2025-2026), 6,054 people took part, a 28.93% uptake rate among 20,926 invitees from Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, and Andorra la Vella. Residents of Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany will receive invitations in 2026. Uptake rose slightly from the prior two years, with women participating at 32.48% versus 25.77% for men. Men, however, recorded higher positive rates on the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for occult blood, at 4.8% compared to 3.47% for women.
Among 248 FIT-positive cases, 188 underwent colonoscopies, while 30 await the procedure and 30 were ruled unsuitable after initial assessments. The colonoscopies found cancer in nine individuals and polyps in 73, who will need follow-up colonoscopies in one or three years via regular healthcare pathways. Another 84 showed no lesions needing monitoring and will get new invitations in 10 years if still under 74. Studies remain ongoing for 22 patients.
The process begins with a personalised invitation letter. Participants collect a FIT kit at their primary care centre (CAP), take a home sample, date and refrigerate it, and return it within three days. The CAP forwards it to a lab. Negative results lead to re-invitation in two years; invalid samples prompt repeats. Positive cases trigger a call from the Andorran Health Care Service (SAAS) screening unit to arrange a colonoscopy if suitable.
Clear colonoscopies mean retesting in 10 years; other findings direct patients to appropriate care. All results feed into medical records.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources:
- Diari d'Andorra•
Diagnosticats 38 càncers de còlon pel programa de detecció
- El Periòdic•
El cribratge de càncer de còlon detecta 9 casos durant el 2025 amb una participació de més de 6.000 persones
- Diari d'Andorra•
Salut detecta nou casos de càncer de còlon i recte el 2025 gràcies al programa de cribratge
- Bon Dia•
El cribratge de càncer de còlon detecta 38 casos des del 2023
- Altaveu•
Salut diagnostica nou casos de càncer de còlon el 2025 gràcies al programa de detecció precoç