Onkológia 3/2014

Cervical cancer screening in Slovakia

Current status of cervical cancer screening in Slovak republik is presented. Design and reimbursment of medical costs of the screening programme are enacted in Act No. 661/2007 of Code which amended the Act No. 577/2004 of Code. The act is valid since 1st of January 2008. The screening method is conventional cervical cytology. Smears are taken by gynaecologists and evaluated by approved cytology laboratories. Target population are women aged 23 – 64 years. The screening intervals are 1, 1, 3 years. The first 2 years of the organized screening is cytology taken annually. Screening interval is prolonged to 3 years if those 2 consecutive cytological findings were negative. The screening is discontinued in women aged 64 years, whose last 3 consecutive smears were negative. The screening is to be evaluated by the Referential Screening Center but it has not been established yet. Thus current situation in cervical cancer screening in Slovakia still doesn´t meet the criteria of the organized screening programme.

Keywords: cervical carcinoma, organized screening, opportunistic screening, target population, screening method.