Region Kronoberg has evaluated the pilot implementation of organized prostate cancer testing conducted during autumn 2025. The evaluation shows that the model works well and participation is at the level of both other regions and the goal set before the pilot start. Region Kronoberg has now left the pilot implementation and has good experiences from it. Organized prostate cancer testing means men of a certain age receive an offer to take a PSA test. In Region Kronoberg, the pilot implementation started during 2025. The pilot targeted 50-year-old men and between 34 and 44 percent of the men participated, which is assessed as a stable uptake in the county. Participation was highest in Växjö, Lessebo, and Alvesta and somewhat lower in Tingsryd and Ljungby.
At the turn of the year, Region Kronoberg took the next step by starting to offer organized PSA testing to men turning 56 years old. The pilot implementation has laid a stable foundation to gradually expand testing to more age groups. How quickly the expansion can occur depends primarily on the availability of investigation resources, such as capacity for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), so that the implementation does not crowd out other healthcare. In the longer term, the region will also analyze how participation looks in different population groups, to assess if organized testing contributes to more equal conditions to make an informed decision about PSA testing. The evaluation also shows that collaboration between the different functions in the project has worked well.
Region Blekinge is now introducing a more organized testing. OPT means a more organized way to offer men in Blekinge aged 50-74 safe testing for prostate cancer. Testing for prostate cancer in Blekinge is both simple and safe. The opportunity to take a PSA test has existed for a long time and remains available in Blekinge. There have been misconceptions in the media that the technical solution for organized prostate cancer testing would pose risks to Blekinge's residents. Even during the implementation, there will be an opportunity to test oneself on one's own initiative.
Region Stockholm has since 2022 offered men turning 50 years old that year to participate in OPT. This year, men turning 56 years old also receive the offer for the first time in Stockholm. With two-year intervals, a new offer is sent to those who previously declined or at a previous test received the recommendation to test again after two years. A total of 85,988 offers have been sent in the county since the start in Stockholm. Of those invited, 37 percent have chosen to participate in Stockholm. Participation has been highest in Vaxholm with 46 percent and lowest in Södertälje with 24 percent in Stockholm. Development work is ongoing to increase participation across the entire county with targeted efforts to areas where participation is lower, for example via health informants.
Almost all regions offer OPT today. The Regional Cancer Centers in collaboration have the task of supporting the regions in the work with organized prostate cancer testing. The purpose is to make testing more equal and to streamline handling and facilitate evaluation of complementary tests that can make testing more accurate. OPT means men are offered PSA test through an organized program with clear information via 1177.se and follow-up. The purpose is to detect prostate cancer early and make testing more equal and reduce problems with unorganized PSA testing. Initial information about OPT is sent out via Kivra or by regular mail, and the offer to participate is then sent via 1177.se.
According to sources, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Sweden. According to regional information, PSA test is a blood test taken at a health center, and the sampling is free of charge. According to medical sources, the value rises in various diseases of the prostate. A PSA value above a certain level is investigated to find out if the cause is prostate cancer or a benign prostate disease, based on regional evaluations. Before age 50, prostate cancer is rare, according to medical sources. After age 75, it is uncommon for a small prostate cancer detected with only a PSA test to have time to become serious, as per regional information. If you have a low value, the risk is small that you will get serious prostate cancer, and then it is enough that you wait several years until you test yourself next time, according to sources. How long time is recommended depends on how your value looks, based on regional guidance. Testing is divided into three steps: a blood test shows the so-called PSA value, if PSA is elevated an MRI is done, and if changes are found a tissue sample is taken by a urologist, according to regional procedures. If tests and examinations are normal, a new offer to participate in OPT comes after two to six years, as per regional plans.
Men who are not included in the organized prostate cancer testing but still want to take a PSA test can contact their health center directly or via the app Alltid öppet, in cases where the health center is connected to the app.