Evaluation and possible future improvements of colorectal and cervical cancer screening in Denmark

CLINICAL PROFESSOR BERIT ANDERSEN
MD Head of Department
University Research Clinic for Cancer Screening, Randers Regional Hospital and Aarhus University, Denmark

The session will focus on research related to organised colorectal (CRC) and cervical cancer (CCU) screening in Denmark. The presented studies aims to secure and improve the overall outcome of the programmes.

FIT-based CRC screening for men and women aged 50 to 74 years was implemented in Denmark from 2014. In a trilogy using a cohort design we evaluated the effectiveness in terms of stage of detected cancers, numbers of detected adenomas (potential for prevention) and CRC mortality. Further, we hypothetizied that different cut-of values according to age and gender can improve the effectiveness. These data will be presented.

CCU screening in Denmark is currently for women aged 23 to 64 years. Denmark and other countries are shifting from liquid-based cytology to HPV testing in CCU screening, and in Denmark the oldest women in the target population are now HPV tested. New data on the effectiveness of offering HPV testing for women above current screening age if they had not previously been HPV screened will be presented.

Professor Berit Andersen is a medical doctor specialised in community medicine, and for the latest 13 years she has been working on cancer screening programmes. Berit Andersen has a special interest in health services research related to organisation and outcomes (both benefit and harms) of cancer screening programmes, and in citizens screening behaviour including social inequality and inequity in the outcome of the programmes.