What each test is worth
The same question for each: per 1,000 people, how many deaths from the disease does the test prevent? Some numbers come from trials (people invited, or randomly assigned to the test), others from a model that assumes people always attend; each has its own time span, written beside it. For osteoporosis the number is hip fractures, not deaths. So the tests are not ranked on one scale.
Each small square is a person; there are 10,000.
Breast cancer while it is small, before it can be felt.
In 2019 only 9% of women aged 50–69 in Romania had had a mammogram in the previous two years, the lowest in the EU.
4.3 per 1,000
breast cancer deaths prevented per 1,000 women invited from 50, over 20 years
estimated from 11 trials
12.9 cancers found that would never have caused harm (overdiagnosis)
Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit)
50–74, every 2 years
Invisible traces of blood in stool, a sign of polyps and bowel cancer. A positive test leads to a colonoscopy, where polyps can be removed there and then.
24–28 per 1,000
bowel cancer deaths avoided per 1,000 people screened from 45 to 75, modelled estimate (US)
modelled estimate
The model assumes a FIT every year (or a colonoscopy every 10 years) from 45. The programme here, every 2 years from 50, prevents somewhat fewer deaths.
High blood pressure, which causes no symptoms and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
no death count for the test
No trial compares people whose blood pressure was measured with people whose was not. The benefit comes from treatment, which clearly cuts heart attacks and strokes.
Your chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years, worked out from cholesterol, blood pressure, age and smoking.
no death count for the test
The benefit comes from treatment: in 18 trials of adults with no previous heart attack or stroke, statins meant about 3.5 fewer deaths per 1,000 people treated, over 6 months to 6 years.
What the evidence says
European prevention guideline (ESC, 2021): risk assessment with the SCORE2 score 'may be considered' in men over 40 and women over 50 without other risk factors. It is a weak recommendation (class IIb); with high blood pressure, smoking or diabetes in the family, the assessment is all the more useful.
ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention, 2021
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, which can go years without signs.
no death count for the test
Screening trials found no fewer deaths over 10 years. The test is worth it if something changes afterwards: diet, activity, treatment.
Osteoporosis: bones that break in an ordinary fall.
5 per 1,000
hip fractures prevented per 1,000 older women, over 4–5 years (three trials)
measured in trials
Viruses that damage the liver silently for decades, up to cirrhosis or cancer. Hepatitis C is now cured with tablets in 8–12 weeks.
no death count for the test
No death count has been measured for the test itself. The benefit comes from treatment: hepatitis C is cured in over 95% of people treated.
High-risk types of HPV, which over years can turn cells of the cervix into cancer. A positive test leads to a check of the cells and, if needed, a colposcopy, where changes are found before they become cancer.
In 2021, 12 women per 100,000 died of cervical cancer in Romania, more than three times the EU average.
8 per 1,000
cervical cancer deaths avoided per 1,000 women with an HPV test every 5 years from 30 to 65, compared with none: from 8.34 to 0.29 (modelled estimate, US)
modelled estimate
What the evidence says
EU Council recommendation (2022): an HPV test from 30 to 65, at least every 5 years. Romania's 2024 methodology (Order MS 3735/2024) starts at 25: after a negative test, recall every 3 years from 25 to 29 and every 5 years from 30.
Council Recommendation on cancer screening, 9 Dec 2022 (2022/C 473/01), Ronco et al., HPV vs cytology, four European trials, Lancet 2014, Metodologia de screening pentru cancerul de col uterin, 28.06.2024 (Portal Legislativ), Planul Național de Cancer: screening pentru cancer de col uterin, populația țintă
What the state gives
Free at a gynaecologist, with a referral from your family doctor: CNAS pays the provider 198 lei for the cervical early-detection package, which includes the HPV test; eligible women aged 25–65, uninsured women included, get it free. The HPV test has no CNAS billing code in the laboratory tariff list, so a referral straight to a lab does not work; the Pap smear does have one (48.70 lei). CLARA offers free screening to women aged 25–65 without symptoms who meet the project's criteria; access is through an affiliated family doctor.
Ordinul MS/CNAS 1857/441/2023, Norme, forma consolidată CNAS, ian. 2026, Ordinul CNAS 1356/2025: testarea HPV pentru femeile neasigurate
When it's due and where to get it free · What an HPV-positive result means · The HPV vaccine for adults: free up to 26, 50% off at 27–45 · The Pap smear: what it is still for
HIV infection, which treated in time means a near-normal lifespan.
no death count for the test
The benefit comes from starting treatment early; no death count has been measured for the test itself.
Lung scan (low-dose CT) for smokers
50–75, every year
Lung cancer at a stage when it can still be operated on.
3 per 1,000
lung cancer deaths prevented per 1,000 heavy smokers scanned yearly, over about 7 years, compared with chest X-ray (NLST)
measured in a trial
Nearly a quarter of scans come back positive at first; almost all turn out to be false alarms.
What the state gives
No public programme. Privately, on the criteria above.
A swelling of the main artery in the abdomen that causes no pain and no signs until it bursts.
4.6 per 1,000
aneurysm deaths prevented per 1,000 men invited to one scan, over 13 years (MASS trial)
measured in a trial
In December 1948 the surgeon Rudolph Nissen opened Albert Einstein's abdomen in Brooklyn and found a large aneurysm on the aorta. There was no way to replace it, so he wrapped it in cellophane to stiffen it. Einstein lived six more years. In April 1955 the aneurysm burst; he refused surgery and died on 18 April. Today the same swelling shows up on a scan that takes a few minutes.
What the state gives
No programme. Ask your family doctor for a referral for an abdominal ultrasound and ask them to look at the aorta.
PSA test for prostate cancer
50–69, every 3 years
Prostate cancer, including many small tumours that would never have caused harm.
2.2 per 1,000
prostate cancer deaths prevented per 1,000 men aged 55–69 invited to PSA testing, over 23 years (ERSPC)
measured in a trial
More than 45% of men tested at every round had at least one false positive over 10 years, and 20–50% of the cancers found would never have caused harm.
What the evidence says
No EU-level recommendation calls for PSA for all men; a few countries run their own programmes. The EU Council (2022) asks member states to study, step by step, organised screening with PSA followed by MRI; the Commission's proposal limited it to men up to 70.
Council of the EU, press release, 9 Dec 2022: Council updates its recommendation to screen for cancer, European Commission, proposal for a Council Recommendation on cancer screening, annex, COM(2022) 474, Hugosson et al., ERSPC 23-year follow-up, NEJM 2025
Melanoma and other skin cancers, through an examination of all your skin, scalp included.
no death count for the test
No trial has shown fewer melanoma deaths from checking the skin of people without symptoms; the checks do find many spots that lead to biopsies.
What the evidence says
There is no European recommendation to screen everyone. The US task force (2023) says the evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of skin checks in people without symptoms.
USPSTF, Skin cancer: screening (2023)
What the state gives
Not in the preventive package. See a dermatologist, with a referral or privately, if a mole changes.
Common questions
Which tests are free at the family doctor in Romania?
If you are insured with CNAS and registered with a family doctor, the preventive consultation is free once a year, and the doctor can give you a referral for its tests, chosen from the list as needed: full blood count, C-reactive protein, glucose, total and LDL cholesterol, creatinine, ALT, AST, a syphilis test (up to 39). Women aged 25–65 get a separate referral to a gynaecologist for the HPV test. From 40, a urine test for the kidneys, TSH and FT4 for women; from 50 to 74 a FIT every 2 years, for women 50 to 69 a mammogram every 2 years, and for men over 50 a PSA every 3 years. Hepatitis B and C are tested free on a separate referral.
Which tests should you have at 40?
Women: Cervical screening, Blood pressure, Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Blood sugar test for diabetes. Men: Blood pressure, Cholesterol and 10-year heart and stroke risk, Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Blood sugar test for diabetes.
Which tests should you have after 50?
Women: Cervical screening, Breast screening (mammogram), Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit), Blood pressure, Cholesterol and 10-year heart and stroke risk, Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Blood sugar test for diabetes. Men: Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit), Blood pressure, Cholesterol and 10-year heart and stroke risk, Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Blood sugar test for diabetes. PSA is free from 50, but it is a decision to make with your doctor. Smokers add a low-dose lung CT from 50.
Which tests should you have after 65?
Women: Cervical screening, Breast screening (mammogram), Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit), Blood pressure, Cholesterol and 10-year heart and stroke risk, Bone density scan (DEXA), Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Blood sugar test for diabetes. Men: Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit), Blood pressure, Cholesterol and 10-year heart and stroke risk, Hepatitis B and C, one-time test, HIV, one-time test, Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) scan, Blood sugar test for diabetes. PSA is free from 50, but it is a decision to make with your doctor. Smokers add a low-dose lung CT from 50.
Is a yearly 'complete' check-up worth it?
Not in the form usually sold. A Cochrane review of 17 trials found no difference in deaths among people invited to general check-ups. Tumour markers and whole-body scans in people without symptoms raise many false alarms. What matters is the tests that fit your age, most of them free.
Ready-made lists
The list at 25, woman · The list at 25, man · The list at 30, woman · The list at 30, man · The list at 40, woman · The list at 40, man · The list at 50, woman · The list at 50, man · The list at 60, woman · The list at 60, man · The list at 70, woman · The list at 70, man
How the list was made
For each test, the evidence column follows the 2022 EU Council recommendation on cancer screening, the European cardiovascular prevention guideline (ESC, 2021) and, where Europe has no recommendation, the independent US Preventive Services Task Force. The state column follows the CNAS rules in force (Order MS/CNAS 1857/441/2023, consolidated January 2026).
Lives saved are absolute: deaths avoided per 1,000 people, not '42% fewer'. Some come from trials (people invited, followed for a fixed number of years), others from models that assume you take every test for life. They are labelled separately and not ranked.
Prices are those shown publicly on 27 September 2026 at the clinic named. They may differ in your city.
This page does not replace your doctor. With symptoms, a family history of cancer or a chronic disease, your list is different and is made with them.