News Release | 20-Aug-2026 | Karolinska Institutet

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University found that people participating in colorectal cancer screening demonstrated significantly better survival outcomes. According to findings published in JAMA Network Open, those who actively participated in Sweden’s Stockholm–Gotland screening programme showed a substantially lower risk of dying from the disease over 14 years of follow-up.

The Swedish screening initiative, launched in 2008, offers biennial testing to individuals aged 60–74 using fecal occult blood testing performed at home. When blood is detected in a sample, colonoscopy typically follows.

Key findings from the study, which tracked 376,511 people invited to screening between 2008 and 2012 and recorded 1,668 colorectal cancer deaths during follow-up, showed that invitations to screening correlated with a 26 percent mortality reduction, while actual participation in screening yielded a 43 percent reduction.

Dr. Johannes Blom, the study’s corresponding author, noted that despite screening being free and simple, around a third of invited people do not submit a sample, underscoring the life-saving potential that greater participation could unlock.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29856
Article Title: Fecal Occult Blood Screening Outcomes Adjusted for Contamination Bias and Nonadherence
Authors: Johannes Blom, Lennarth Nyström, Håkan Jonsson
Publication Date: 20-Aug-2026
Funding: Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Research Council, Region Stockholm

Source: EurekAlert