Do Colon Cancer Screening Programs Reduce Mortality? Evidence from Spain

Sammanfattning: The two main objectives of colon cancer screening programs are to prevent and early detect possible cancers in the medium-risk population. Hence, with this paper, I study the following two questions. First, is the program successful at reducing colon cancer mortality rate? Second, what are the key roles early detection and prevention have in reducing mortality rate? To answer these questions, I use individual level data on mortality and morbidity from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) and an Instrumental Variable – generalised Difference-in-Differences approach. I find that the introduction of colon cancer screening programs leads to a significant decrease in colon cancer mortality rate in treated regions. In addition, the program has a larger impact on mortality rate the longer it stays in place for a continuous time. Furthermore, I find that early detections and preventions significantly reduce colon cancer mortality rate, with a greater prevention effect in the longer run.