Greece expands colon cancer screening to curb rising cases

Colon and rectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe. Recent European data show a modest decline in new cases (from 370,000 to 362,000) and deaths (from 170,000 to 161,000) between 2018‑2022, attributed to national prevention programmes covering over 120 million EU citizens.

In Greece, however, incidence has risen from 7,319 to 7,859 cases and deaths from 3,430 to 3,764 in the same period. To address this, the Greek Ministry of Health launched the national “Prolambano” (I Prevent) programme in 2024 for people aged 50‑69. The scheme uses a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) that detects hidden blood; a positive result leads to a colonoscopy. Within two years the programme has performed more than 1 million FITs and over 38,000 colonoscopies.

Early‑stage detection yields a five‑year survival rate of about 90 %. Experts stress that lifestyle factors—smoking, high alcohol intake, meat‑heavy diets, low fiber, inactivity and obesity—contribute to the disease, especially among younger adults (20‑29 years). Typical symptoms (“A & K”) are blood in stool, changes in bowel habits and abdominal pain, which should prompt diagnostic investigation if persistent for three weeks.