Skip to main content
09-03-2023

Colorectal cancer prevention: time is a critical factor

Iliustracija

We lose around 800 people to colorectal cancer every year. Its treatment could be much more successful and the number of losses much lower if the disease is detected early, preferably before it is apparent. The first step towards early diagnosis is a simple occult bleeding test. It should be carried out regularly when people are at a high-risk age.  

In March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, health insurance funds remind patients that for several years now, people of a certain age who are covered by compulsory health insurance in Lithuania can and should be checked free of charge under the colorectal cancer prevention programme. This is because at this age there is a high risk of developing the disease. Initial screening is usually a fecal occult blood test, which shows whether a person who is feeling well needs further action.

“Men and women aged 50 and 74 or over who agree to take part in a colorectal cancer prevention programme undergo a faecal occult blood test. This is the FOBT test, which is administered by a family doctor. It can be done at home or in a outpatient clinic. The test tells you whether it is positive or negative. If it is negative, the person can be calm for two years. After 2 years, the test must be repeated.

If the test is positive, the family doctor sends the patient for an endoscopic examination - a colonoscopy. This examination involves looking at the entire large intestine using a special device. If the patient prefers, the test can be performed under intravenous anaesthesia. During the examination, if the doctor sees any suspicious areas of mucous membranes, a biopsy is performed. Small polyps can also be removed immediately.

At the National Cancer Institute, colonoscopy is carried out using modern equipment with integrated image magnification and “narrow beam” imaging, which allows high resolution and improves the quality of the examination. If the colonoscopy does not reveal any pathology in the large intestine, the next fecal occult blood test will be offered to the patient after 10 years. If pathology is detected, the patient will be referred to a specialised institution for treatment,” says Inga Kildušienė, a gastroenterologist of the National Cancer Institute, senior consultant of the Endoscopic Research Division.

The doctor points out that the programme is aimed at patients who have no complaints and feel healthy. The aim is to screen people who do not have any symptoms, as colorectal cancer is practically asymptomatic until the final stages. If a family doctor suspects colorectal pathology on the basis of the patient's complaints, the patient should be referred immediately to a specialised institution for examination. Be aware that there are some diseases of the large intestine where intestinal bleeding is possible and in such cases the FOBT test may be positive for these diseases.

Although there is a tendency for more and more people to be screened for colorectal cancer, the Institute of Hygiene's record of a steady decline in the number of deaths due to the disease, and hence in late detection, remains alarming. According to the latest data available from health insurance funds, about one in two people (46%) who are at age risk of developing colorectal cancer are screened for the disease.

“The programme requires testing every two years, so we look at two years of results. We see that between mid-2020 and mid-2022, around half a million people have been tested for a occult blood test under the prevention programme. Of these, a small proportion - around 50 000 people - tested positive, while the rest did not require any further testing. However, the other half a million people who were at risk during the two-year period were not tested under the programme. So they risked that an undetectable disease, if present, would be detected when treatment would become much more difficult or life-threatening,” says Jurgita Grigarienė, Chief Specialist of the Services Management Division of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

In order to protect the population from the consequences of diseases such as colorectal cancer, the funding for preventive screening for this disease is increasing each year: EUR 5.2 million in 2021, EUR 5.7 million in 2022 and EUR 6.1 million this year. However, J. Grigarienė believes it is clear that money alone does not help health or save lives - it is important for people to take care of their health by getting timely preventive screening and not to be afraid to continue testing after a positive result from a occult bleeding test.  

During this special month of colorectal cancer prevention, the NHIF and the National Cancer Institute are urging people to contact their family doctor if it's time to get tested with a occult blood test. It is also a reminder that insured people are also screened free of charge for cervical, breast, prostate cancer and cardiovascular diseases as part of prevention programmes.

People who are not in an age-risk group should also see their family doctor immediately in the event of a health problem for the necessary tests and treatment, which are paid for by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund.

(Freepik photo)

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 17-03-2023

Related news:

Health budget in 2025: what benefits did we receive?

The right to be informed: what is important to know about reimbursable healthcare

Tens of millions of euros for residents’ health: for whom and how are medication co-payments covered?

Study reveals: a family doctor’s advice determines the decision to get checked

Unexpected ailments during the holidays: where to turn and what to know