General information
Every year, almost two million people in Europe die from cancer; a diagnosis made earlier could save some of them.
EUCanScreen (an acronym for EU-Supported Cancer Screening Scheme) is a joint action funded within the European health programme EU4Health, responding to the call for action launched during the Czech Council Presidency at the conference'Modern Cancer Control: Saving Lives through Smart Solutions' and the call of the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (Europe's Beating Cancer Plan) to establish a new cancer screening scheme supported by the European Union (EU).
The project aims to reduce the burden of cancer by focusing on both personal and societal risk factors, and to ensure greater equity in access to screening programmes across the EU.
In the consortium, coordinated by the University of Latvia, 29 partner countries are represented, including 25 EU Member States, Ukraine, Moldova, Norway and Iceland. The very broad partnership includes 28 national coordinators called competent authorities, 61 affiliated partners and 7 associated partners.
The Autonomous Province of Trento is an affiliate of the Institute for the Study, Prevention and Oncological Network (ISPRO), which is the competent authority for Italy.
The action will cover the following activities
- verification of the feasibility, planning and testing of implementation of prostate, lung and gastric cancer screening to facilitate a phased approach for introduction and full implementation;
- identification and analysis of barriers and facilitators for the use of screening services within the different health systems of the Member States;
- structured and sustainable exchange of experience and good practice between Member States, including the development of quality standards for piloting and implementation of changes by multi-professional teams also involving peer support and addressing training needs;
- support for the further development of the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) and the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR) with regard to screening indicators, to facilitate alignment with the input requirements of the two registers
- identifying and evaluating innovative methods and practices in the screening areas covered by the proposed Council Recommendation and analysing developing evidence in other areas not currently covered, which could facilitate the future extension of screening and/or early detection to other cancers;
- address problems of access to cancer screening for particular groups of people, such as people living in rural or remote geographical areas, people with disabilities or suffering from stigma and discrimination.
Goals
The overall objective of the project is to ensure the sustainable implementation of high-quality cancer screening programmes in all Member States.
Specifically, EUCanScreen focuses on strengthening and standardising screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, and preparing for the introduction of new recommended programmes for lung, prostate and stomach cancer.
EUCanScreen aims to achieve seven specific and interconnected objectives
- Comprehensive implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers with high quality standards.
- Preparation for new evidence-basedscreening for lung, prostate and stomach cancer.
- Programmegovernance and long-term sustainability.
- Better quality, more timely and comparabledata collection and continuous monitoring of screening programmes.
- Equitable access to screening programmes for all eligible EU citizens, reducing cancer inequalities.
- Capacity building and knowledge development in the field of cancer screening in all partner countries.
- Collaboration and coherence with related projects funded under EU programmes.
Work Packages
The EUCanScreen work plan is structured into eleven closely related Work Packages (WP), each with a specific operational focus:
| WP1 | ProjectCoordination | Management and technical-administrative coordination of the project, ensuring coherence, alignment with objectives and compliance with ethical and legal standards. |
| WP2 | Dissemination | Communication and promotion of the project, its results and methodology at European level, ensuring effective dissemination to health authorities and the public. |
| WP3 | Projectevaluation | Monitoring and evaluation of the project's performance against its objectives (KPIs), measuring the impact and effectiveness of the actions undertaken. |
| WP4 | Sustainability | Development of sustainability strategies and plans to ensure that the project's tools, guidelines and recommendations are integrated and continue to operate beyond the duration of the funding. |
| WP5 | Monitoring | Harmonisation of data collection systems and development of methodologies for continuous monitoring, comparability and international benchmarking of screening programmes. |
| WP6 | Addressing barriers and facilitators in cancer screening | In-depth analysis of social, cultural, economic and structural barriers (and their facilitators) that influence equitable access and participation in screening programmes. |
| WP7 | Implementationresearch to improve existing screening programmes | Improvement and optimisation of existing screening programmes (breast, cervical, colorectal), including adaptation to new evidence and vaccinated cohorts (e.g. HPV). |
| WP8 | Facilitation of the implementation of new screening approaches | Operational preparation and definition of protocols for the introduction of emerging screening programmes, specifically for lung, prostate and stomach cancer. |
| WP9 | Risk-basedapproaches | Exploration and development of more accurate and personalised cancer screening methods based on individual risk assessment of participants. |
| WP10 | Health technologymodelling and evaluation to optimise cancer screening programmes in Europe | Use of mathematical models and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to estimate benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness, optimising resource allocation in screening programmes. |
| WP11 | Capacity Building | Training, education and audits targeting health personnel and programme leaders, enhancing the skills needed for the implementation of quality standards. |
Start date
01/06/2024
End date
31/05/2028