Lleida’s bowel cancer screening programme has detected 499 tumours over the past 15 years, most of them at an early stage, according to the Department of Health. The scheme began as a pilot in La Granadella in January 2011 and later expanded to Lleida city in 2015.
The programme has also identified 6,900 pre-cancerous lesions that could have developed into malignant tumours. In the same period, 489,354 invitation letters were sent to men and women aged 50 to 69, with a participation rate of 53.74%.
Uptake varies across the Lleida Health Region. Rural areas have a participation rate of 58.25%, while Lleida city stands at 45%. Montserrat Llorens, coordinator of the programme’s technical office, said these figures are below the European Union target of 70%, although overall coverage is higher because some people have colonoscopies through primary care for other reasons.
The Department of Health plans to gradually extend the screening age range to 74 from the fourth quarter of 2026. People who turn 69 will continue to receive invitations every two years.
The test checks stool samples for blood, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer. Over 15 years, 5.2% of analysed samples, nearly 13,600 cases, tested positive for blood. When that happens, patients are offered a colonoscopy to find the source of the bleeding.
Those colonoscopies have helped doctors remove polyps and diagnose tumours in their initial phases. The programme has led to 12,231 colonoscopies in the region. For more Catalonia health coverage, see our news page.
Participation is free and straightforward. People who receive an invitation letter collect a kit and instructions from their primary care centre, in Lleida at the CAP, and in other areas at pharmacies, then take a small stool sample at home and return it for analysis. The Department of Health also says healthy habits, including not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, daily physical activity, a balanced diet and limiting alcohol, can help reduce the risk of bowel cancer and other cancers.
