First comprehensive cancer prevention research completed in Bosnia and Herzegovina with EU support

First comprehensive cancer prevention research completed in Bosnia and Herzegovina with EU support

The findings of the first comprehensive cancer prevention research in Bosnia and Herzegovina were presented today at a final conference in Sarajevo, highlighting the country's readiness to move towards organised cancer screening programmes in line with European standards.

The research provides the most complete assessment to date of cancer prevention of cervical, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and presents an actionable roadmap for organised screening programmes aligned with European Union standards. The research is conducted under the joint EU-UN project funded by the European Union with 900.000 euros and the United Nations with 100.000 USD. The project is implemented by UNFPA and WHO in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska, and the Department of Health of the Government of Brčko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This research represents an important step for Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the first time ever, we have a common and comprehensive basis for better planning of prevention, early detection, and control of four types of cancer. Our goal is clear: that the results of this research become the foundation for concrete policies, sustainable prevention programmes, and better treatment outcomes for patients. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a system. A system that will not wait. A system that actively invites, follows up, records and guides a person through the entire journey, from preventive examination, to diagnostics, to treatment itself", said Dubravka Bošnjak, Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Building on the research results, the European Union has also allocated 11.5 million euros for a comprehensive cancer prevention programme that will support the implementation of organised screening systems across the country in line with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.

"Cancer prevention saves lives. That is why the European Union has supported this research, helping Bosnia and Herzegovina align its preventive healthcare system with the highest European standards and best practices. The findings presented today provide a clear roadmap for a comprehensive nationwide cancer prevention programme, and the EU will continue to support the country in strengthening public services, improving healthcare and ensuring a better quality of life for all citizens", said Adebayo Babajide, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH.

Cancer is one of the most pressing public health challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each year, an estimated 14,000 new cases and approximately 8,600 deaths every year. Many cancers are detected late, when treatment is more difficult and survival rates are lower, despite the fact that a significant share of cancers can be prevented or successfully treated through early detection and screening.

The research shows that Bosnia and Herzegovina already has a strong basis to build on: legal frameworks, clinical capacities, and the foundations needed to step up population-based cancer registries in all three jurisdictions. However, none of the four cancers, cervical, breast, colorectal, or prostate, is yet covered by an organised screening programme. Today, screenings happen case by case rather than through a systematic programme, with roughly seven in ten patients entering the system only once symptoms appear. Prevention also pays off: saving one year of life through organised screening costs between 220 and 2,905 euros- well below the internationally accepted threshold of cost-effective health spending. The data also show that a high share of cancers are diagnosed late: 22% of cervical cancers and 29% of breast cancers are found at advanced stages (III and IV) when treatment is harder and outcomes worse.

What is needed now are operational decisions: the adoption of prevention programmes, dedicated information systems that systematically invite and follow up with eligible individuals for screening, the consistent application of regulations guaranteeing free preventive services, and sustained financing to make these programmes durable.

Conducted over the past year, the research analysed cancer prevention and early detection practices across all three administrative units, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District, using a rigorous mixed-methods approach that combined institutional data collection, system-level analysis, evidence of epidemiological burden, qualitative data collection from the population, and field visits to health centres across the country. The analysis was benchmarked against the nine quality pillars defined by European Union guidelines on cancer screening.

Breast cancer screening is the most developed, with widespread mammography but largely opportunistic delivery. Cervical cancer prevention combines clinical Pap testing with HPV vaccination, a strong foundation not yet been integrated into a population-based model. Colorectal cancer screening remains at an early stage: diagnostic capacity exists, but structured programmes and invitation systems are absent. Prostate cancer early detection relies on opportunistic PSA testing, in line with the European preference for risk-based over universal screening.

"The evidence is now in hand: across all four cancers, the cost of a year of life saved through organised screening is a small fraction of GDP per capita. With sustained political commitment and continued investment in coordination and quality, thousands of lives can be saved through early detection - a goal that is fully within reach", said Justine Coulson, UNFPA Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The "Comprehensive Research on Cervical, Breast, Colorectal and Prostate Cancers in Bosnia and Herzegovina" is a joint project of the European Union and the United Nations, funded by the European Union with 900.000 euros and UN with 110.000 USD. It is implemented by UNFPA and WHO in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska and the Department of Health of the Government of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.