Results of the National Breast Cancer Screening Program in Croatia (2006-2016)

Aim To assess the uptake of the Croatian National Breast Cancer Screening Program from 2006 to 2016.Methods The Croatian National Breast Cancer Screening Program, a biennial program targeting women aged 50-69, started in October 2006. From 2006 to 2016, four cycles were completed. One cycle lasted two years, with the ex-ception of the first cycle, which lasted three years. To de-termine the number of detected cancers in each cycle, the screening program data were merged with the data of the Croatian National Cancer Registry. Our results were com-pared with the reference values from the European guide-lines for quality assurance in breast cancer screening and diagnosis.Results Around 150 000 mammography exams were per-formed every year. The response rates for cycle 1, cycle 2, cycle 3, and cycle 4 were 63%, 57%, 60%, and 59%, respec-tively. Further assessment rate was 6.5%. Breast cancer was identified in 5583 women, with 4.8 cancers detected per 1000 mammography exams.Conclusion The National Breast Cancer Screening Pro-gram in Croatia reached a substantial proportion of the target group. Yet, additional efforts are needed to reach at least 70% of the target population.