Deset let Državnega presejalnega programa za raka dojk Dora

Abstract

In 2003, European Commission issued recommendations for breast cancer screening programme implementation and called upon member states to establish it untill 2008. Slovenian national breast cancer screening programme DORA started inviting women in 2008 and finished national implementation in 2017. Women aged 50 to 69 are invited to attend screening mammography every 2 years. Mammography can show clinically occult impalpable breast lesions. In case of positive mammography test, women are invited for further assessment of lesions, and treated in case of a breast cancer diagnosis. Since 2018, screening mammographies are performed on 21 mammographic machines at 16 stationary and in 3 mobile screening centres. Additionally, further assessment and screen-detected cancer treatment take place at two screening and diagnostic centres at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and at the Maribor University Medical Centre. DORA programme follows European guidelines for quality control in screening from the very beginning and provides equal care for all invited women in all DORA screening units throughout Slovenia. The aim of the screening programme is to decrease breast cancer mortality rates in the target population by 25-30%, with precondition of 70% uptake. Slovenian programme effectiveness is proven by acceptable performance indicators' results. Characteristics of Slovenian organized breast cancer screening are: centralized population-based programme, invitations with prefixed appointment for eligible women, double reading, consensus conference, further assessment is managed by screening programme, multidisciplinary meetings, screening registry with a special computer software for registration of all screening and assessment activities, quality assurance for radiologists and radiographers, regular quality control for programme providers, yearly monitoring of screening performance indicators.