The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity; hence, the promotion of health is more important today than ever in solving public health problems. Although chronic diseases are among the most common and expensive of all health problems, they are also preventable. Prevention of chronic diseases, in order to be most effective, must be carried out in several sectors and throughout the lives of individuals. Cancer is a large group of diseases that can occur in almost any organ or tissue in the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, exceed their usual limits to affect neighbouring parts of the body, and/or spread to other organs. Despite advances in screening, early diagnosis, as well as advances in treatment technology, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the world, in addition to cardiovascular diseases. Screening in both healthy and high-risk populations offers the opportunity for early detection of cancer with increased treatment potential and curative intent. Currently, a defined screening role exists in some types of malignancies, but each screening has certain limitations. Unfortunately, many cancers still lack effective screening recommendations, or in some cases the benefits of screening are marginal if weighed against the possibility of harm. During the second congress of the Croatian Oncological Society, the Proposal for the National Program for Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer in Croatia was presented, which was then published in Croatian and English. Following the revision of the Proposal, the Program was published in 2007 under the title "How to Prevent and Detect Cancer Early?". In any cases, nursing professionals are crucial in cancer prevention and early detection; however, the role of the nurse in cancer screening programs is described only very generally without specifying the activities required to develop that role.