News for health professionals

The legislative framework of the breast cancer screening programme is given by the Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No. 70/2012 Coll. on preventive examinations. The system of organisation and management of this screening programme, the principles of performance and reporting, evaluation of workplaces and the overall functioning of the programme are set out in the Recommended Standard for the Provision of Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Mammography in the Czech Republic, published in the Bulletin of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No. 5/2024 and 5/2025.

Breast cancer screening is part of the Recommendation of the Council of the European Union of 2 December 2003 on cancer screening. The Council of the EU recommends the collection of data on preventive examinations, follow-up diagnostic procedures and final diagnoses. On the basis of these data, the screening process should be monitored and the results should be made available to professionals and the general public. Detailed guidelines for the implementation of screening programmes are contained in documents issued by the European Commission. The data collection in the Czech breast cancer screening programme is set up in accordance with these European recommendations and enables effective monitoring of the quality and results of the programme.

Currently, the programme is operated in dozens of accredited screening centres, whose activities are continuously monitored and controlled by regional coordinators. The course of the programme, compliance with the established rules and its professional development is guaranteed in the Czech Republic by the Commission for the Breast Cancer Screening Programme, which is an advisory body of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.