The CSO actively supports all the screening programmes and activities leading to timely diagnosis of tumour diseases.
All internationally recommended cancer screening programmes are available for citizens of the Czech Republic. People aged 50 years and over can participate in colorectal cancer screening, women aged over 45 can undergo mammography, and all adult women can attend cervical cancer screening. In accordance to the recommendation by the Council of the European Union, all screening examinations are offered by means of organised programmes, with strictly defined procedures and ensured quality control. Health care facilities selected for providing screening examinations (mammography centres, colonoscopy centres, and cytology laboratories) are therefore continuously monitored to provide high-quality examinations. A system of personalised invitation to cancer screening was launched in early 2014, which turned the organised programmes into population-based. Personalised invitations led to an increase in uptake, particularly in the colorectal cancer screening programme
Vaccination against human papillomaviruses (HPV) that protects young women from cervical cancer is also accessible. Men over 50 years of age pass standard procedures for establishment of the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA). An elevated level of this substance in the blood leads to further detailed diagnosis of the prostate gland. The CSO supports all screening programmes and other activities contributing to early detection of tumour illnesses. It identifies with the EP’s call for the introduction of further techniques of early diagnosis as soon as they are scientifically confirmed.
Time trends of the target population coverage in three Czech national cancer screening programmes (breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer). Source: health care payers and screening registries
