Colorectal cancer screening programme: annual statistics

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Screening programme overview

– In 2024, the target population for colorectal cancer screening — individuals turning 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 or 70 during the year — were invited. Together with the invitation letter, a self-sampling kit for faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) was sent to all eligible individuals.

– 421,365 individuals were selected from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency database for a screening invitation, of whom 419,966 (99.7%) were sent an invitation by post. An invitation may not be sent, for example due to a non-disclosure order or missing address. Åland is not part of the national programme and is not included in these statistics.

– Approximately 73.5% of the 2024 target population returned the sampling kit. Of these, 4.5% had a blood content in their stool exceeding the positive test threshold (25 micrograms of blood per gram of stool).

– Those with positive test results were referred to a screening nurse for further evaluation. The primary follow-up examination was colonoscopy, which was performed on 10,244 screening participants. Alternative CT colonographies were reported for 128 persons.

– In the 2024 screening, 413 cancers and 3,824 follow-up-requiring or advanced colorectal cancer precursors were detected.

– In 2024, individuals were invited to a second screening round for the first time nationwide. This was reflected in a decrease in the proportion of positives, a decrease in the proportion of detected cancers and precursor lesions, and a reduced number of colonoscopies compared with the previous year.

– The national screening programme began in 2022. This was preceded by a pilot in 12 municipalities from 2019 to 2021.

Whole country

Screening process

2024

Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	205202	141922	69.2	8074	5.7	5832	72.2	295	5.1
Women	216163	167949	77.7	6009	3.6	4412	73.4	253	5.7
Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	206044	143623	69.7	9587	6.7	7602	79.3	584	7.7
Women	216606	170680	78.8	6914	4.1	5369	77.7	391	7.3
Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	172687	126332	73.2	8307	6.6	6579	79.2	534	8.1
Women	181487	147376	81.2	5713	3.9	4462	78.1	342	7.7
Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Age groups

2024

Age group	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
60	Men	36281	22671	62.5	1275	5.6	1028	80.6	52	5.1
60	Women	36565	27245	74.5	915	3.4	726	79.3	45	6.2
60	Total	72846	49916	68.5	2190	4.4	1754	80.1	97	5.5
62	Men	35734	23279	65.1	1187	5.1	877	73.9	41	4.7
62	Women	36386	27259	74.9	841	3.1	601	71.5	30	5.0
62	Total	72120	50538	70.1	2028	4.0	1478	72.9	71	4.8
64	Men	34499	23658	68.6	1250	5.3	891	71.3	39	4.4
64	Women	36083	27822	77.1	911	3.3	651	71.5	29	4.5
64	Total	70582	51480	72.9	2161	4.2	1542	71.4	68	4.4
66	Men	32558	23377	71.8	1385	5.9	991	71.6	41	4.1
66	Women	34416	27179	79.0	1010	3.7	734	72.7	34	4.6
66	Total	66974	50556	75.5	2395	4.7	1725	72.0	75	4.3
68	Men	33900	24917	73.5	1442	5.8	1023	70.9	64	6.3
68	Women	36406	29299	80.5	1097	3.7	797	72.7	50	6.3
68	Total	70306	54216	77.1	2539	4.7	1820	71.7	114	6.3
70	Men	32230	24020	74.5	1535	6.4	1022	66.6	58	5.7
70	Women	36307	29145	80.3	1235	4.2	903	73.1	65	7.2
70	Total	68537	53165	77.6	2770	5.2	1925	69.5	123	6.4
Total	Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Age group	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
60	Men	36576	23063	63.1	1299	5.6	1041	80.1	60	5.8
60	Women	36941	27702	75.0	938	3.4	727	77.5	44	6.1
60	Total	73517	50765	69.1	2237	4.4	1768	79.0	104	5.9
62	Men	35391	23591	66.7	1411	6.0	1115	79.0	63	5.7
62	Women	36317	27814	76.6	1044	3.8	803	76.9	43	5.4
62	Total	71708	51405	71.7	2455	4.8	1918	78.1	106	5.5
64	Men	34320	23642	68.9	1554	6.6	1230	79.2	81	6.6
64	Women	35750	28200	78.9	1106	3.9	858	77.6	57	6.6
64	Total	70070	51842	74.0	2660	5.1	2088	78.5	138	6.6
66	Men	33977	24445	71.9	1660	6.8	1318	79.4	121	9.2
66	Women	35875	28851	80.4	1185	4.1	948	80.0	74	7.8
66	Total	69852	53296	76.3	2845	5.3	2266	79.6	195	8.6
68	Men	33661	24989	74.2	1812	7.3	1450	80.0	128	8.8
68	Women	36234	29447	81.3	1325	4.5	1034	78.0	81	7.8
68	Total	69895	54436	77.9	3137	5.8	2484	79.2	209	8.4
70	Men	32119	23893	74.4	1851	7.7	1448	78.2	131	9.0
70	Women	35489	28666	80.8	1316	4.6	999	75.9	92	9.2
70	Total	67608	52559	77.7	3167	6.0	2447	77.3	223	9.1
Total	Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Age group	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
60	Men	36233	24773	68.4	1422	5.7	1127	79.3	81	7.2
60	Women	36541	28572	78.2	968	3.4	758	78.3	46	6.1
60	Total	72774	53345	73.3	2390	4.5	1885	78.9	127	6.7
62	Men	35030	25039	71.5	1529	6.1	1217	79.6	83	6.8
62	Women	36331	29123	80.2	1057	3.6	834	78.9	59	7.1
62	Total	71361	54162	75.9	2586	4.8	2051	79.3	142	6.9
64	Men	33279	24592	73.9	1593	6.5	1241	77.9	104	8.4
64	Women	34782	28444	81.8	1106	3.9	868	78.5	67	7.7
64	Total	68061	53036	77.9	2699	5.1	2109	78.1	171	8.1
66	Men	34846	26446	75.9	1797	6.8	1436	79.9	126	8.8
66	Women	36921	30581	82.8	1261	4.1	995	78.9	76	7.6
66	Total	71767	57027	79.5	3058	5.4	2431	79.5	202	8.3
68	Men	33299	25482	76.5	1966	7.7	1558	79.2	140	9.0
68	Women	36912	30656	83.1	1321	4.3	1007	76.2	94	9.3
68	Total	70211	56138	80.0	3287	5.9	2565	78.0	234	9.1
Total	Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Positivity rate

2024

2023

2022

Diagnoses

2024

Sex	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	8074	2242	27.8	1256	15.6	1743	21.6	2410	29.8	227	2.8	201	2.5
Women	6009	1598	26.6	1351	22.5	1261	21.0	1414	23.5	186	3.1	211	3.5

2023

Sex	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	9587	1991	20.8	1520	15.9	2028	21.2	3394	35.4	443	4.6	230	2.4
Women	6914	1545	22.3	1531	22.1	1456	21.1	1864	27.0	328	4.7	209	3.0

2022

Sex	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	8307	1729	20.8	1431	17.2	1843	22.2	2699	32.5	388	4.7	225	2.7
Women	5713	1253	21.9	1398	24.5	1195	20.9	1472	25.8	244	4.3	168	2.9

Population groups

Native language

2024

Native language	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Domestic	Men	196117	137637	70.2	7829	5.7	5672	72.4	284	5.0
Domestic	Women	205528	161710	78.7	5759	3.6	4231	73.5	245	5.8
Domestic	Total	401645	299347	74.5	13588	4.5	9903	72.9	529	5.3
Other/missing	Men	9085	4285	47.2	245	5.7	160	65.3	11	6.9
Other/missing	Women	10635	6239	58.7	250	4.0	181	72.4	8	4.4
Other/missing	Total	19720	10524	53.4	495	4.7	341	68.9	19	5.6
Total	Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Native language	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Domestic	Men	197691	139585	70.6	9341	6.7	7425	79.5	567	7.6
Domestic	Women	207249	165173	79.7	6663	4.0	5211	78.2	382	7.3
Domestic	Total	404940	304758	75.3	16004	5.3	12636	79.0	949	7.5
Other/missing	Men	8353	4038	48.3	246	6.1	177	72.0	17	9.6
Other/missing	Women	9357	5507	58.9	251	4.6	158	62.9	9	5.7
Other/missing	Total	17710	9545	53.9	497	5.2	335	67.4	26	7.8
Total	Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Native language	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Domestic	Men	165875	122852	74.1	8096	6.6	6440	79.5	525	8.2
Domestic	Women	173344	142423	82.2	5553	3.9	4346	78.3	329	7.6
Domestic	Total	339219	265275	78.2	13649	5.1	10786	79.0	854	7.9
Other/missing	Men	6812	3480	51.1	211	6.1	139	65.9	9	6.5
Other/missing	Women	8143	4953	60.8	160	3.2	116	72.5	13	11.2
Other/missing	Total	14955	8433	56.4	371	4.4	255	68.7	22	8.6
Total	Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Level of education

2024

Education	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Primary education/unknown	Men	39385	23017	58.4	1564	6.8	1044	66.8	65	6.2
Primary education/unknown	Women	29186	19138	65.6	896	4.7	609	68.0	36	5.9
Primary education/unknown	Total	68571	42155	61.5	2460	5.8	1653	67.2	101	6.1
Intermediate/secondary	Men	98325	67510	68.7	4091	6.1	2978	72.8	150	5.0
Intermediate/secondary	Women	93246	72413	77.7	2820	3.9	2056	72.9	106	5.2
Intermediate/secondary	Total	191571	139923	73.0	6911	4.9	5034	72.8	256	5.1
Tertiary/higher education	Men	67492	51395	76.1	2419	4.7	1810	74.8	80	4.4
Tertiary/higher education	Women	93731	76398	81.5	2293	3.0	1747	76.2	111	6.4
Tertiary/higher education	Total	161223	127793	79.3	4712	3.7	3557	75.5	191	5.4
Total	Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Education	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Primary education/unknown	Men	41478	24658	59.4	2070	8.4	1589	76.8	130	8.2
Primary education/unknown	Women	31366	21318	68.0	1157	5.4	868	75.0	66	7.6
Primary education/unknown	Total	72844	45976	63.1	3227	7.0	2457	76.1	196	8.0
Intermediate/secondary	Men	97575	67572	69.3	4734	7.0	3784	79.9	269	7.1
Intermediate/secondary	Women	93884	73863	78.7	3147	4.3	2451	77.9	177	7.2
Intermediate/secondary	Total	191459	141435	73.9	7881	5.6	6235	79.1	446	7.2
Tertiary/higher education	Men	66991	51393	76.7	2783	5.4	2229	80.1	185	8.3
Tertiary/higher education	Women	91356	75499	82.6	2610	3.5	2050	78.5	148	7.2
Tertiary/higher education	Total	158347	126892	80.1	5393	4.3	4279	79.3	333	7.8
Total	Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Education	Sex	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Primary education/unknown	Men	34486	21656	62.8	1709	7.9	1293	75.7	114	8.8
Primary education/unknown	Women	26055	18262	70.1	917	5.0	692	75.5	58	8.4
Primary education/unknown	Total	60541	39918	65.9	2626	6.6	1985	75.6	172	8.7
Intermediate/secondary	Men	82368	59988	72.8	4185	7.0	3310	79.1	271	8.2
Intermediate/secondary	Women	79127	64344	81.3	2649	4.1	2064	77.9	167	8.1
Intermediate/secondary	Total	161495	124332	77.0	6834	5.5	5374	78.6	438	8.2
Tertiary/higher education	Men	55833	44688	80.0	2413	5.4	1976	81.9	149	7.5
Tertiary/higher education	Women	76305	64770	84.9	2147	3.3	1706	79.5	117	6.9
Tertiary/higher education	Total	132138	109458	82.8	4560	4.2	3682	80.7	266	7.2
Total	Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Region of birth

2024

Region of birth	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Africa	1453	588	40.5	22	3.7	15	68.2	0	0.0
Oceania	74	44	59.5	1	2.3	1	100.0	0	0.0
Americas	837	464	55.4	16	3.4	12	75.0	0	0.0
Asia	3889	2156	55.4	106	4.9	76	71.7	3	3.9
Europe excl. Finland	14654	8301	56.6	384	4.6	261	68.0	15	5.7
Finland	400375	298265	74.5	13554	4.5	9879	72.9	530	5.4
Unknown	83	53	63.9	0	0.0	0	–	0	–
Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Region of birth	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Africa	1197	527	44.0	28	5.3	20	71.4	1	5.0
Oceania	77	52	67.5	0	0.0	0	–	0	–
Americas	718	416	57.9	18	4.3	11	61.1	1	9.1
Asia	3450	1913	55.4	94	4.9	69	73.4	3	4.3
Europe excl. Finland	13679	7774	56.8	408	5.2	267	65.4	19	7.1
Finland	403455	303578	75.2	15952	5.3	12604	79.0	951	7.5
Unknown	74	43	58.1	1	2.3	0	0.0	0	–
Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Region of birth	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Africa	1033	434	42.0	12	2.8	6	50.0	1	16.7
Oceania	53	30	56.6	0	0.0	0	–	0	–
Americas	631	371	58.8	22	5.9	16	72.7	2	12.5
Asia	2809	1646	58.6	80	4.9	55	68.8	4	7.3
Europe excl. Finland	11670	6992	59.9	322	4.6	231	71.7	23	10.0
Finland	337911	264193	78.2	13582	5.1	10731	79.0	846	7.9
Unknown	67	42	62.7	2	4.8	2	100.0	0	0.0
Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Collaboration areas

Screening process

2024

Collaborative area	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	70957	53610	75.6	2274	4.2	1696	74.6	87	5.1
Inland Finland	68104	50662	74.4	2368	4.7	1755	74.1	91	5.2
Northern Finland	57766	43322	75.0	1972	4.6	1423	72.2	75	5.3
Southern Finland	157494	112885	71.7	5098	4.5	3579	70.2	201	5.6
Western Finland	67044	49392	73.7	2371	4.8	1791	75.5	94	5.2
Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Collaborative area	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	72144	55729	77.2	2777	5.0	2234	80.4	144	6.4
Inland Finland	68571	51658	75.3	2639	5.1	2100	79.6	182	8.7
Northern Finland	58913	44574	75.7	2323	5.2	1864	80.2	112	6.0
Southern Finland	156073	112425	72.0	5998	5.3	4470	74.5	359	8.0
Western Finland	66949	49917	74.6	2764	5.5	2303	83.3	178	7.7
Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Collaborative area	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	60324	47934	79.5	2284	4.8	1875	82.1	135	7.2
Inland Finland	57319	44599	77.8	2313	5.2	1852	80.1	172	9.3
Northern Finland	49332	38645	78.3	1970	5.1	1568	79.6	116	7.4
Southern Finland	130942	99200	75.8	5122	5.2	3861	75.4	305	7.9
Western Finland	56257	43330	77.0	2331	5.4	1885	80.9	148	7.9
Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Participation rate

2024

2023

2022

Positivity rate

2024

2023

2022

Diagnoses

2024

Collaborative area	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	2274	578	25.4	495	21.8	538	23.7	519	22.8	75	3.3	74	3.3
Inland Finland	2368	614	25.9	440	18.6	558	23.6	625	26.4	61	2.6	73	3.1
Northern Finland	1972	549	27.8	450	22.8	413	20.9	470	23.8	46	2.3	47	2.4
Southern Finland	5098	1519	29.8	780	15.3	990	19.4	1510	29.6	158	3.1	145	2.8
Western Finland	2371	580	24.5	442	18.6	505	21.3	700	29.5	73	3.1	73	3.1

2023

Collaborative area	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	2777	544	19.6	575	20.7	649	23.4	817	29.4	130	4.7	68	2.4
Inland Finland	2639	541	20.5	577	21.9	555	21.0	782	29.6	135	5.1	51	1.9
Northern Finland	2323	459	19.8	527	22.7	526	22.6	674	29.0	78	3.4	62	2.7
Southern Finland	5998	1528	25.5	890	14.8	1147	19.1	1980	33.0	306	5.1	164	2.7
Western Finland	2764	464	16.8	482	17.4	607	22.0	1005	36.4	122	4.4	94	3.4

2022

Collaborative area	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Eastern Finland	2284	410	18.0	489	21.4	530	23.2	667	29.2	120	5.3	70	3.1
Inland Finland	2313	462	20.0	535	23.1	546	23.6	614	26.5	98	4.2	60	2.6
Northern Finland	1970	402	20.4	467	23.7	448	22.7	530	26.9	69	3.5	55	2.8
Southern Finland	5122	1261	24.6	815	15.9	1007	19.7	1677	32.7	238	4.6	136	2.7
Western Finland	2331	447	19.2	523	22.4	507	21.8	683	29.3	107	4.6	72	3.1

Wellbeing services counties

Screening process

2024

Wellbeing service county	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	21191	16219	76.5	669	4.1	506	75.6	43	8.5
Central Ostrobothnia	4928	3612	73.3	168	4.7	125	74.4	9	7.2
Central Uusimaa	15179	11236	74.0	567	5.0	398	70.2	13	3.3
City of Helsinki	42015	29226	69.6	1284	4.4	870	67.8	46	5.3
East Uusimaa	7884	5679	72.0	261	4.6	171	65.5	10	5.8
Kainuu	7009	5362	76.5	280	5.2	182	65.0	8	4.4
Kanta-Häme	14399	10705	74.3	544	5.1	406	74.6	29	7.1
Kymenlaakso	14431	10098	70.0	496	4.9	308	62.1	19	6.2
Lapland	16183	11925	73.7	571	4.8	415	72.7	15	3.6
North Karelia	14800	10833	73.2	425	3.9	338	79.5	14	4.1
North Ostrobothnia	29646	22423	75.6	953	4.3	701	73.6	43	6.1
North Savo	21844	16465	75.4	739	4.5	513	69.4	16	3.1
Ostrobothnia	12299	9334	75.9	418	4.5	308	73.7	11	3.6
Pirkanmaa	37764	28058	74.3	1236	4.4	868	70.2	44	5.1
Päijät-Häme	17272	12996	75.2	565	4.3	402	71.2	22	5.5
Satakunta	18076	13115	72.6	693	5.3	499	72.0	19	3.8
South Karelia	11131	8241	74.0	375	4.6	284	75.7	20	7.0
South Ostrobothnia	15941	11899	74.6	588	4.9	481	81.8	18	3.7
South Savo	13122	10093	76.9	441	4.4	339	76.9	14	4.1
Southwest Finland	36669	26943	73.5	1260	4.7	984	78.1	64	6.5
Vantaa and Kerava	17443	12433	71.3	604	4.9	441	73.0	22	5.0
West Uusimaa	32139	22976	71.5	946	4.1	705	74.5	49	7.0
Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Wellbeing service county	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	21788	16906	77.6	832	4.9	645	77.5	40	6.2
Central Ostrobothnia	5187	3796	73.2	203	5.3	165	81.3	7	4.2
Central Uusimaa	15025	11016	73.3	591	5.4	451	76.3	35	7.8
City of Helsinki	41047	28615	69.7	1452	5.1	995	68.5	51	5.1
East Uusimaa	7899	5705	72.2	292	5.1	240	82.2	23	9.6
Kainuu	7171	5540	77.3	308	5.6	243	78.9	21	8.6
Kanta-Häme	14767	11095	75.1	596	5.4	480	80.5	59	12.3
Kymenlaakso	14795	10288	69.5	616	6.0	452	73.4	38	8.4
Lapland	16630	12455	74.9	701	5.6	554	79.0	32	5.8
North Karelia	15442	11779	76.3	417	3.5	366	87.8	34	9.3
North Ostrobothnia	29925	22783	76.1	1111	4.9	902	81.2	52	5.8
North Savo	21822	16861	77.3	944	5.6	699	74.0	34	4.9
Ostrobothnia	12484	9464	75.8	473	5.0	371	78.4	31	8.4
Pirkanmaa	37894	28652	75.6	1427	5.0	1101	77.2	89	8.1
Päijät-Häme	17480	13312	76.2	739	5.6	547	74.0	55	10.1
Satakunta	18084	13500	74.7	824	6.1	685	83.1	50	7.3
South Karelia	11221	8354	74.4	474	5.7	398	84.0	27	6.8
South Ostrobothnia	15910	11911	74.9	616	5.2	519	84.3	34	6.6
South Savo	13092	10183	77.8	584	5.7	524	89.7	36	6.9
Southwest Finland	36381	26953	74.1	1467	5.4	1247	85.0	97	7.8
Vantaa and Kerava	17037	12197	71.6	677	5.6	496	73.3	46	9.3
West Uusimaa	31569	22938	72.7	1157	5.0	891	77.0	84	9.4
Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Wellbeing service county	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	17979	14388	80.0	665	4.6	548	82.4	44	8.0
Central Ostrobothnia	4225	3219	76.2	158	4.9	137	86.7	17	12.4
Central Uusimaa	12475	9828	78.8	515	5.2	361	70.1	24	6.6
City of Helsinki	35103	25691	73.2	1282	5.0	933	72.8	59	6.3
East Uusimaa	6523	4936	75.7	266	5.4	206	77.4	18	8.7
Kainuu	6019	4780	79.4	269	5.6	210	78.1	13	6.2
Kanta-Häme	12157	9532	78.4	521	5.5	425	81.6	51	12.0
Kymenlaakso	12228	9029	73.8	540	6.0	412	76.3	22	5.3
Lapland	13972	10837	77.6	588	5.4	469	79.8	35	7.5
North Karelia	12737	9968	78.3	336	3.4	301	89.6	25	8.3
North Ostrobothnia	25116	19809	78.9	955	4.8	752	78.7	51	6.8
North Savo	18463	14520	78.6	807	5.6	605	75.0	43	7.1
Ostrobothnia	10335	8071	78.1	374	4.6	294	78.6	29	9.9
Pirkanmaa	31540	24528	77.8	1252	5.1	976	78.0	81	8.3
Päijät-Häme	14481	11501	79.4	564	4.9	451	80.0	38	8.4
Satakunta	15346	11627	75.8	660	5.7	565	85.6	42	7.4
South Karelia	9465	7456	78.8	419	5.6	325	77.6	32	9.8
South Ostrobothnia	13622	10539	77.4	540	5.1	451	83.5	40	8.9
South Savo	11145	9058	81.3	476	5.3	421	88.4	23	5.5
Southwest Finland	30576	23632	77.3	1297	5.5	1026	79.1	77	7.5
Vantaa and Kerava	14235	10698	75.2	545	5.1	410	75.2	36	8.8
West Uusimaa	26432	20061	75.9	991	4.9	763	77.0	76	10.0
Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Participation rate

2024

2023

2022

Positivity rate

2024

2023

2022

Delays in access to colonoscopy

2024

2023

2022

Diagnoses

2024

Wellbeing service county	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	669	163	24.4	193	28.8	112	16.7	151	22.6	29	4.3	22	3.3
Central Ostrobothnia	168	43	25.6	27	16.1	29	17.3	61	36.3	8	4.8	1	0.6
Central Uusimaa	567	169	29.8	131	23.1	138	24.3	98	17.3	12	2.1	19	3.4
City of Helsinki	1284	414	32.2	167	13.0	215	16.7	408	31.8	38	3.0	42	3.3
East Uusimaa	261	90	34.5	48	18.4	57	21.8	52	19.9	11	4.2	3	1.1
Kainuu	280	98	35.0	78	27.9	44	15.7	58	20.7	2	0.7	0	0.0
Kanta-Häme	544	138	25.4	119	21.9	111	20.4	151	27.8	11	2.0	14	2.6
Kymenlaakso	496	188	37.9	84	16.9	86	17.3	112	22.6	16	3.2	10	2.0
Lapland	571	156	27.3	119	20.8	137	24.0	133	23.3	10	1.8	17	3.0
North Karelia	425	87	20.5	97	22.8	123	28.9	87	20.5	10	2.4	21	4.9
North Ostrobothnia	953	252	26.4	226	23.7	203	21.3	218	22.9	26	2.7	29	3.0
North Savo	739	226	30.6	121	16.4	180	24.4	183	24.8	19	2.6	14	1.9
Ostrobothnia	418	110	26.3	56	13.4	90	21.5	147	35.2	9	2.2	6	1.4
Pirkanmaa	1236	369	29.9	214	17.3	279	22.6	303	24.5	31	2.5	43	3.5
Päijät-Häme	565	163	28.8	66	11.7	105	18.6	215	38.1	14	2.5	5	0.9
Satakunta	693	194	28.0	213	30.7	147	21.2	105	15.2	14	2.0	20	2.9
South Karelia	375	91	24.3	62	16.5	81	21.6	114	30.4	14	3.7	13	3.5
South Ostrobothnia	588	107	18.2	107	18.2	168	28.6	171	29.1	19	3.2	16	2.7
South Savo	441	102	23.1	84	19.0	123	27.9	98	22.2	17	3.9	17	3.9
Southwest Finland	1260	276	21.9	173	13.7	268	21.3	448	35.6	50	4.0	47	3.7
Vantaa and Kerava	604	163	27.0	78	12.9	101	16.7	217	35.9	19	3.1	26	4.3
West Uusimaa	946	241	25.5	144	15.2	207	21.9	294	31.1	34	3.6	27	2.9

2023

Wellbeing service county	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	832	187	22.5	238	28.6	184	22.1	186	22.4	28	3.4	13	1.6
Central Ostrobothnia	203	38	18.7	34	16.7	48	23.6	73	36.0	8	3.9	4	2.0
Central Uusimaa	591	140	23.7	120	20.3	132	22.3	157	26.6	33	5.6	9	1.5
City of Helsinki	1452	457	31.5	173	11.9	220	15.2	494	34.0	51	3.5	57	3.9
East Uusimaa	292	52	17.8	55	18.8	71	24.3	87	29.8	20	6.8	10	3.4
Kainuu	308	65	21.1	65	21.1	75	24.4	90	29.2	12	3.9	1	0.3
Kanta-Häme	596	116	19.5	110	18.5	120	20.1	191	32.0	42	7.0	17	2.9
Kymenlaakso	616	164	26.6	123	20.0	106	17.2	168	27.3	38	6.2	17	2.8
Lapland	701	147	21.0	148	21.1	157	22.4	206	29.4	28	4.0	15	2.1
North Karelia	417	52	12.5	96	23.0	100	24.0	125	30.0	27	6.5	18	4.3
North Ostrobothnia	1111	209	18.8	280	25.2	246	22.1	305	27.5	30	2.7	42	3.8
North Savo	944	245	26.0	133	14.1	197	20.9	321	34.0	33	3.5	16	1.7
Ostrobothnia	473	103	21.8	65	13.7	99	20.9	178	37.6	23	4.9	8	1.7
Pirkanmaa	1427	327	22.9	348	24.4	311	21.8	355	24.9	64	4.5	23	1.6
Päijät-Häme	739	192	26.0	87	11.8	146	19.8	281	38.0	41	5.5	5	0.7
Satakunta	824	139	16.9	231	28.0	184	22.3	218	26.5	38	4.6	16	1.9
South Karelia	474	76	16.0	87	18.4	107	22.6	161	34.0	25	5.3	18	3.8
South Ostrobothnia	616	98	15.9	119	19.3	124	20.1	236	38.3	29	4.7	11	1.8
South Savo	584	60	10.3	108	18.5	168	28.8	185	31.7	42	7.2	21	3.6
Southwest Finland	1467	222	15.1	186	12.7	324	22.1	609	41.5	61	4.2	70	4.8
Vantaa and Kerava	677	181	26.7	84	12.4	123	18.2	233	34.4	35	5.2	21	3.1
West Uusimaa	1157	266	23.0	161	13.9	242	20.9	399	34.5	63	5.4	27	2.3

2022

Wellbeing service county	Test positives	Did not attend colonoscopy		No CRC, adenomas nor polyps		Adenoma/polyp, non-advanced		Adenoma/polyp, advanced		Cancer		Others
	N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Central Finland	665	117	17.6	198	29.8	167	25.1	137	20.6	32	4.8	14	2.1
Central Ostrobothnia	158	21	13.3	41	25.9	33	20.9	53	33.5	5	3.2	5	3.2
Central Uusimaa	515	154	29.9	94	18.3	98	19.0	135	26.2	21	4.1	14	2.7
City of Helsinki	1282	349	27.2	169	13.2	217	16.9	453	35.3	52	4.1	42	3.3
East Uusimaa	266	60	22.6	55	20.7	55	20.7	71	26.7	15	5.6	10	3.8
Kainuu	269	59	21.9	64	23.8	59	21.9	77	28.6	7	2.6	3	1.1
Kanta-Häme	521	96	18.4	96	18.4	106	20.3	167	32.1	33	6.3	23	4.4
Kymenlaakso	540	128	23.7	109	20.2	113	20.9	145	26.9	24	4.4	21	3.9
Lapland	588	119	20.2	119	20.2	140	23.8	166	28.2	28	4.8	16	2.7
North Karelia	336	36	10.7	91	27.1	85	25.3	84	25.0	23	6.8	18	5.4
North Ostrobothnia	955	203	21.3	243	25.4	216	22.6	234	24.5	29	3.0	31	3.2
North Savo	807	202	25.0	115	14.3	156	19.3	288	35.7	34	4.2	12	1.5
Ostrobothnia	374	80	21.4	49	13.1	83	22.2	142	38.0	16	4.3	5	1.3
Pirkanmaa	1252	276	22.0	318	25.4	307	24.5	294	23.5	36	2.9	22	1.8
Päijät-Häme	564	113	20.0	84	14.9	120	21.3	212	37.6	29	5.1	12	2.1
Satakunta	660	95	14.4	251	38.0	141	21.4	127	19.2	29	4.4	19	2.9
South Karelia	419	94	22.4	79	18.9	75	17.9	143	34.1	21	5.0	7	1.7
South Ostrobothnia	540	90	16.7	121	22.4	133	24.6	153	28.3	29	5.4	15	2.8
South Savo	476	55	11.6	85	17.9	122	25.6	158	33.2	31	6.5	26	5.5
Southwest Finland	1297	272	21.0	223	17.2	283	21.8	414	31.9	62	4.8	48	3.7
Vantaa and Kerava	545	135	24.8	64	11.7	109	20.0	201	36.9	29	5.3	7	1.3
West Uusimaa	991	228	23.0	161	16.2	220	22.2	317	32.0	47	4.7	23	2.3

Participation rate maps

Wellbeing services counties

Latest year (2024)

Municipalities

Latest year (2024)

Advanced statistics

Screening by previous result

2024

Sex	Previous result	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	Negative	116319	105559	90.7	5092	4.8	4138	81.3	198	4.8
Men	Positivet	8129	5595	68.8	958	17.1	161	16.8	10	6.2
Men	Did not attend	43362	7583	17.5	713	9.4	477	66.9	32	6.7
Men	First invitation	37392	23185	62.0	1311	5.7	1056	80.5	55	5.2
Men	Total	205202	141922	69.2	8074	5.7	5832	72.2	295	5.1
Women	Negative	140507	129971	92.5	4164	3.2	3348	80.4	179	5.3
Women	Positivet	5621	3972	70.7	519	13.1	82	15.8	7	8.5
Women	Did not attend	32404	6169	19.0	386	6.3	237	61.4	20	8.4
Women	First invitation	37631	27837	74.0	940	3.4	745	79.3	47	6.3
Women	Total	216163	167949	77.7	6009	3.6	4412	73.4	253	5.7
Total	Total	421365	309871	73.5	14083	4.5	10244	72.7	548	5.3

2023

Sex	Previous result	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	Negative	12535	11600	92.5	591	5.1	473	80.0	22	4.7
Men	Positivet	657	440	67.0	73	16.6	20	27.4	1	5.0
Men	Did not attend	4687	1055	22.5	98	9.3	62	63.3	4	6.5
Men	First invitation	188165	130528	69.4	8825	6.8	7047	79.9	557	7.9
Men	Total	206044	143623	69.7	9587	6.7	7602	79.3	584	7.7
Women	Negative	16041	15078	94.0	498	3.3	404	81.1	20	5.0
Women	Positivet	477	342	71.7	40	11.7	8	20.0	1	12.5
Women	Did not attend	3570	965	27.0	62	6.4	43	69.4	3	7.0
Women	First invitation	196518	154295	78.5	6314	4.1	4914	77.8	367	7.5
Women	Total	216606	170680	78.8	6914	4.1	5369	77.7	391	7.3
Total	Total	422650	314303	74.4	16501	5.3	12971	78.6	975	7.5

2022

Sex	Previous result	Picked	Attended		Test positives		Attended colonoscopy (of test positives)		Surgical/neoadjuvant treatment (of those who had colonoscopy)
		N	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Men	Negative	10239	9592	93.7	485	5.1	400	82.5	20	5.0
Men	Positivet	382	270	70.7	63	23.3	18	28.6	2	11.1
Men	Did not attend	3322	728	21.9	65	8.9	42	64.6	3	7.1
Men	First invitation	158744	115742	72.9	7694	6.6	6119	79.5	509	8.3
Men	Total	172687	126332	73.2	8307	6.6	6579	79.2	534	8.1
Women	Negative	12239	11679	95.4	341	2.9	280	82.1	14	5.0
Women	Positivet	466	319	68.5	46	14.4	14	30.4	1	7.1
Women	Did not attend	2666	675	25.3	28	4.1	17	60.7	0	0.0
Women	First invitation	166116	134703	81.1	5298	3.9	4151	78.4	327	7.9
Women	Total	181487	147376	81.2	5713	3.9	4462	78.1	342	7.7
Total	Total	354174	273708	77.3	14020	5.1	11041	78.8	876	7.9

Interval cancers

In the interval cancer statistics, cancers reported to the Cancer Registry during the screening round have been linked to each person eligible for screening (year 2022). Screen-detected cancers are cases where a test-positive individual has undergone colonoscopy and a precancerous lesion or cancer was found during colonoscopy. Interval cancers among positives are cancers in individuals who have not undergone a screening colonoscopy. A more detailed definition can be found in the section Definitions of Indicators at the bottom of the page.

Sex	Interval cancer type	N	%
Men	Non-attender	169	23.1
Men	Interval cancer, negative	83	11.3
Men	Interval cancer, positive	48	6.5
Men	Screen-detected	433	59.1
Women	Non-attender	90	17.7
Women	Interval cancer, negative	93	18.3
Women	Interval cancer, positive	39	7.7
Women	Screen-detected	286	56.3

Episode sensitivity

Details

Data

• The data includes all of the persons eligible for screening in 2022–24, and their screening-chain diagnoses reported by 15 May 2026.

Indicator definitions

• The participation rate was calculated by dividing the number of persons who successfully returned the test (at least one successful test result per round) by the number of persons selected for the screening invitation. The selected persons also include those who were eligible to participate in screening but were not sent an invitation, for example because of a missing address due to a non-disclosure order.
• Test positivity rate was calculated by dividing the number of positives by the number of people who returned at least one test successfully.
• The median delay to colonoscopy describes the delay within which half of the test-positive persons are admitted to colonoscopy. The upper limit of the first decile is the limit within which 10% of test positives are admitted to colonoscopy. Correspondingly, the lower limit of the 10th decile describes the delay that is exceeded by 10% of test positives.
• The confidence intervals for the participation rate and the proportion of positives describe the uncertainty in the proportion arising from sample size and random variation. The confidence intervals are calculated as exact 95%–confidence intervals based on a binomial model.
• In the interval cancer statistics, the cancers detected during the screening round have been linked to each person eligible for screening in 2022 by combining cancer registry and mass screening registry data. Screen-detected cancers comprise cases where a test-positive person underwent colonoscopy, an adenoma or cancer was detected at the colonoscopy, and the person has a cancer diagnosis either in the mass screening registry or in the cancer registry before the start of the next screening round. Interval cancers among test positives are cancers detected in test-positive persons who did not attend colonoscopy within the screening programme. Interval cancers among negatives and non-participants are, for these persons, cancers detected on the basis of the cancer registry before the start of the next screening round. The statistics use both mass screening and cancer registry data, which is why the figures differ from the cancer figures in diagnosis data for those who underwent colonoscopy in the 2022 screening round.
• Episode sensitivity is calculated by dividing the screen-detected cancers by the sum of the screen-detected cancers and the interval cancers among negatives.
• Previous-round results use additional data on the screening history of persons who resided in the pilot areas of the 2019–21 screening pilot.

Population classification

• Statistics production uses individual-level education data released by Statistics Finland under permit TK/2743/07.03.00/2023.
• The education categories were created by combining the categories pre-primary, lower primary and upper primary into the category primary education, by combining secondary education and specialist vocational qualifications into the category secondary education, and by combining lower and upper tertiary education and doctoral education into the category tertiary education. Unknown and missing data have been combined with primary education in the same category. The education data refer to the year preceding the screening year (e.g. for the 2024 screening year, the education data are from 2023).
• Native language and area of birth are based on data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Diagnosis classification

• Diagnoses are classified at the screening-round level, according to the person’s most severe diagnosis during the round.
• No CRC, adenomas or polyps covers all screening rounds for which no codes beginning with M8 in the ICD-O-3 classification, nor SNOMED codes for polyps (M7200/0, M7204/0, M7564/0 or M7680/0), have been reported, and for which there is no notation of a polyp or tumour in the colonoscopy quality data.
• Adenomas and polyps include all adenomas, sessile serrated lesions and hyperplastic polyps, covering ICD-O-3 codes beginning with M8 up to those beginning with M85, and SNOMED codes M7200/0, M7204/0, M7564/0 or M7680/0.
• Advanced adenomas/findings requiring follow-up include all adenomas with high-grade dysplasia, all polyps with a diameter greater than 10 mm, or cases where four or more polyps were found.
• Cancers include all tumours classified as malignant according to the ICD-O-3 classification, including rarer tumours (e.g. sarcomas).
• Others/poorly defined include those cases where a polyp or tumour from the colonoscopy stage has been reported to the mass screening registry, but no more detailed classification or, for example, size is known for the polyp on the basis of which it would be known to require follow-up. The category also covers rarer non-malignant tumours (ICD-O-3 M8600–M9992, e.g. lipomas).
• Statistics are supplemented retrospectively after review, including with regard to diagnosis codes. Screening data are updated retrospectively, which is why detection proportions, for example, may change in later statistical publications.
• For the classification of diagnoses among persons who underwent colonoscopy, only mass screening registry data have been used. Diagnoses outside screening have been analysed by combining cancer registry and mass screening registry data in the Special statistics subsections Interval cancers and Episode sensitivity.