EUCanScreen

To increase survival chances, prevention and early detection through population-based screening approaches is vital, but to achieve the benefits of a cancer screening programme, it must be well-planned with appropriate governance and quality assurance from multiple stakeholders.

Aim

EUCanScreen aims to support the implementation of Flagship 4 of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: putting forward a new EU-Supported Cancer Screening Scheme to help ensure that 90% of the EU population who qualify for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings are offered participation in the programme.

In addition to optimising existing population-based cancer screening programmes, EUCanScreen will facilitate the implementation of the screening programmes recently recommended by the European Commission – for lung, prostate and gastric cancers. Furthermore, other aspects emphasised in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, including novel approaches to screening, personalised screening, AI, big data and other new technologies, and operational quality assurance, will be addressed.

EUCanScreen has seven specific objectives:

1. ensuring the full implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers
2. preparing for the implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for lung, prostate and gastric cancers
3. ensuring proper programme governance and sustainability
4. ensuring timelier, better quality and comparable data collection and monitoring of screening programmes
5. ensuring equal access to screening programmes for eligible EU citizens and reducing cancer inequalities
6. ensuring capacity building in cancer screening
7. ensuring collaboration and coherence with related projects funded under EU programmes

From OUH Odense and Svendborg, we build on our strong position within AI in cancer and will contribute with our experience in AI for breast cancer diagnostics as well as further develop the assessment model MAS-AI (Model for Assessment of Artificial Intelligence) into a European model, and test it on clinical use cases in Europe.

In addition, we will uncover barriers in the population to participation in screening programmes for cancer, develop optimised and individualised patient information for future screening programmes and create courses in breast cancer screening supported by artificial intelligence.

Funding

The total budget of EUCanScreen is 38.749.916 € and the project has been funded by the European Commission's EU4Health Programme.

Partners

The project involves a consortium with 29 partnering countries, consisting of 25 EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Ukraine, and Moldova, 59 affiliated partners, and 10 associated partners.

The project will be coordinated by the University of Latvia and the Region of Southern Denmark, and CAI-X will act as the Competence Authority in Denmark, with responsibilities to coordinate the Danish efforts.