The Prešov Self-Governing Region is the first in Slovakia to launch screening for prostate cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysms

On October 8, 2026, the Prešov Self-Governing Region officially launched a project it is implementing as part of the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme with an allocation of nearly 960,000 euros, through which it will become the first region in Slovakia to conduct a pilot screening program for 4,000 at-risk residents of the region. The goal of the initiative is to actively prevent avoidable deaths, reduce the incidence of serious noncommunicable diseases, and create a model that can be used for future nationwide screening.

The region presented the initiative itself and the individual screening programs at a professional conference in Prešov, which took place on October 8 and was attended by leading Slovak and Czech experts in the fields of urology, angiology, and radiology, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development, and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, the Regional Public Health Office, and the Swiss Embassy. A total of 4,000 people are expected to participate in the program for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysms, with a target of 2,000 participants for each screening.

The pilot screening program for abdominal aortic aneurysms is supervised by Lukáš Vincze, head of the Department of Interventional Angiology at the National Institute of Heart and Vascular Diseases in Bratislava. It is intended for men and women over the age of 65 who meet the specified risk factors, as well as for individuals over the age of 55 whose parent or sibling has had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Risk factors for this condition include smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of the condition among first-degree relatives. Diagnosis will be performed via abdominal ultrasound, which will be available at participating angiology clinics throughout the Prešov Region.

The president of the Slovak Urological Society and regional urology expert for the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, Assoc. Prof. Ivan Minčík, has assumed patronage of the prostate cancer early detection program. It is intended for men aged 50 to 69 and is based on a screening test involving a blood draw to measure levels of the PSA marker. It will be implemented gradually through participating general practitioners and urologists in Prešov, as well as in the districts of Kežmarok, Vranov nad Topľou, Snina, and Svidník. If a patient’s PSA level is elevated, he will be referred for a follow-up urological examination and, if necessary, for an MRI and a biopsy.

As Zuzana Sabolová, head of the PSK Health Department, added, “Slovakia is among the countries with the lowest average life expectancy in the EU and a high number of preventable deaths. We were looking for a way to reverse these statistics and help people live more years in good health. We decided to focus on two particularly serious conditions and, through our programs, assess their actual prevalence among the region’s residents. If, thanks to this, we save even one human life, it will be the greatest proof that this initiative was worthwhile.”

The project is being implemented as part of the Swiss-Slovak Health Program, operated by the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic.

You can read more information about the project as well as the conference on the website of the Prešov Self-Governing Region.