Mass screening in cancer: efficacy, problems, principles

With respect to steady increasing incidence of malignant tumors in Czechoslovakia the oncological program was established with the aim to achieve a gradual dispensarization of all population. The main part of the program is the secondary prevention through oncological examinations to find out early stages of tumors or precancerous lesions. The experimental examinations started in four districts and during two years 111,783 inhabitants from selected groups passed the screening. The examinations were also aimed on hypertension and diabetes. The first results revealed 0.2% new malignancies and 24% preneoplastic lesions. As far as hypertension and diabetes concerns there were 6,204 new cases of hypertension and 2,616 of diabetes. The examinations were supported by centers of clinical oncology created 3 years ago in all district and county hospitals. The task of the centers is not only the early diagnosis of all malignancies but also the application of a suitable therapy. For early diagnosis of some tumors there were established special committees which closely cooperate with the center. These are specially the committees for breast cancer and in some hospitals committees for malignant melanoma. The examinations will be gradually extended to other countries in CSR and in spite of many problems which remain to be solved we hope that all these arrangements will help in the fight against malignant tumors.