At the end of November, the PRO-PETER study began at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana (OI). This is the first study of organized prostate cancer screening in Slovenia. It represents an important step toward improving the early detection of prostate cancer and toward developing professional foundations for the possible introduction of high-quality and sustainable population-based screening at the national level.
The study will include 10,000 randomly selected men from the Ljubljana region aged 50 to 69. On 28 November, the coordination center sent out the first 100 invitations, marking the start of the operational implementation of activities. Blood sampling for the PSA screening test is carried out in the OI laboratory from Monday to Thursday, and once a week also at the University Medical Centre (UKC) Ljubljana. Men invited to OI enter through the DORA entrance, where registration and signing of informed consent take place, followed by laboratory blood sampling. Participants with elevated PSA levels will be invited for further radiological and urological diagnostics and, if necessary, for treatment.
The study is expected to last approximately one year. Its main objective is to obtain data that will be crucial for deciding on the possible introduction of organized population-based screening for prostate cancer in Slovenia.
Official start of the study (kick-off meeting)
On Friday, 5 December 2025, a kick-off and operational opening meeting of the PRO-PETER study was held at OI Ljubljana, in the lecture hall of Building C. All key partners and participating institutions gathered at the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to review and align all processes necessary for the effective implementation of the study.
At the meeting, we:
- presented the PETER project in the context of prostate cancer screening in Slovenia,
- presented the PRO-PETER study and its course,
- presented the communication plan,
- aligned the entire participant pathway within the study,
- confirmed key operational protocols,
- enabled the exchange of information among partners,
- addressed open questions and confirmed the timeline and communication channels.
PRO-PETER is conducted under the auspices of:
- ProSCREEN (UICC) – funded by the Union for International Cancer Control. The project lead is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Urška Ivanuš, Head of the ZORA Screening Programme.
- The PETER project – a project to prepare expert foundations for the introduction of prostate cancer screening in the Republic of Slovenia, funded by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, ARIS, and the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS). The principal investigator of the PRO-PETER study is Assistant M.Sc. Janka Čarman.
- The activities are also supported by the ICSIS project, funded by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument, in cooperation with IARC/WHO and Erasmus MC Rotterdam.
The study is based at the ZORA programme, where a call centre has also been established to support men, the media, and professionals:
T: +386 1 5879 169 | E: projekt.peter@onko-i.si
