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Implementation and First Results of the Czech Nationwide Prostate Cancer Screening Pilot Program
Marcela Koudelková1,2, Kateřina Hejcmanová1,2, Marek Babjuk3
1National Screening Centre, Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic, Prague, The Czech Republic.
European Urology Open Science
|August 7, 2026
Summary
The Czech Republic
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Public Health
- Oncology
Background:
- European Union recommended organized prostate cancer screening in 2022.
- Czech Republic launched a nationwide pilot program in January 2024.
- Aims to reduce late-stage prostate cancer and unorganized prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- Describe the strategy and methodology of the Czech prostate cancer screening pilot program.
- Report initial results from the first 12 months of the program.
- Evaluate the feasibility of organized screening.
Main Methods:
- Targeted men aged 50-69 years.
- Offered initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing by general practitioners and urologists.
- Referred men with PSA ≥3.0 µg/l for urology assessment, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and targeted biopsy if indicated.
Main Results:
- Screening offered to 150,498 men; 97.1% had PSA results.
- 8.8% had PSA ≥3.0 µg/l, with 67.2% undergoing urological evaluation within 6 months.
- Two-year PSA testing rate increased from 47.4% to 53.3%; prebiopsy MRI use rose from 28.0% to 38.3%.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated feasibility of transitioning from unorganized to organized prostate cancer screening.
- Showed improved adherence to the recommended diagnostic pathway.
- Further evaluation is planned to assess outcomes and reduce opportunistic testing.