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Colorectal cancer is an increasingly common disease, with nearly 1,000 people diagnosed in Estonia every year. Given that many new cases of cancer are still only detected at a late stage, the Health Insurance Fund stresses the importance of regularly participating in screenings to detect the disease at an early stage or before it develops. Still, only half of those invited to screening actually take part.

Today, the Health Insurance Fund launched an information campaign on colorectal cancer screening, inviting men and women aged 60–68 to undergo screening free of charge. ‘The screening can detect pre-cancerous changes before the disease and symptoms develop. With timely medical help, these changes can be treated successfully, saving the patient from a frightening diagnosis,’ explains Maria Suurna, service manager for screening of the Health Insurance Fund. According to current data from the National Institute for Health Development, 1.5% of screening participants in 2020 – nearly 600 people – were found to have cancerous changes. Only 0.3% of those screened were diagnosed with cancer. ‘For most people, taking part in screening therefore gives them the reassurance and knowledge that they are healthy,’ Suurna added.