Breast cancer is a serious public health problem all over the world, especially in developed countries. In the Republic of Croatia, the most common cancer treatment is breast cancer. About 2500 new cases are diagnosed annually, and about 800 women die from breast cancer each year. This is the number that classifies Croatia among countries with high incidence (about 100/100 000 women). Data are alarming because they indicate that every tenth women will have breast cancer during her lifetime. Given that risk factors for breast cancer are related to a modern lifestyle, an incidence increase is reported worldwide. Nonetheless, in most developed countries since the second half of the 1980s, there is still a lower mortality rate for breast cancer attributed to progress in therapy. Breast cancer is regularly diagnosed at a later stage and hence the activity of modern medicine is directed at the early detection of breast cancer, from an individual to a national basis. The National Breast Cancer Research Program for the Republic of Croatia was adopted in 2006. and is in line with the National Strategy for Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer, part of the Croatian Health Care Development Strategy. Additional efforts are needed to better implement this program in order to better respond to women at risk, as well as preventive programs to prevent the onset of the disease.