EUCanScreen

Europeans are disproportionately affected by cancer. While we make up only one-tenth of the world population, about one in four of all annual cancer cases occur in Europe. The earlier cancer is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chances of survival.

Project period

Start: June 2024
End: May 2028

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:

ensuring the full implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers
preparing for the implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for lung, prostate and gastric cancers
ensuring proper programme governance and sustainability
ensuring timelier, better quality and comparable data collection and monitoring of screening programmes
ensuring equal access to screening programmes for eligible EU citizens and reducing cancer inequalities
ensuring capacity building in cancer screening
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.

Partners

The project involves a consortium of 29 partner countries, consisting of 25 EU Member States as well as Norway, Iceland, Ukraine and Moldova, 29 competent authorities, 61 affiliated partners and 7 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.

View the full list of participants below

Competent Authorities

UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA (LU)
GESUNDHEIT OSTERREICH GMBH (AT)
SCIENSANO (BE)
HRVATSKI ZAVOD ZA JAVNO ZDRAVSTVO (HR)
MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS (CY)
USTAV ZDRAVOTNICKYCH INFORMACI A STATISTIKY CESKE REPUBLIKY (CZ)
REGION SYDDANMARK (DK)
TERVISE ARENGU INSTITUUT (EE)
TERVEYDEN JA HYVINVOINNIN LAITOS (FI)
INSTITUT NATIONAL DU CANCER GIP (FR)
ROBERT KOCH-INSTITUT (DE)
MINISTRY OF HEALTH (EL)
ORSZAGOS KORANYI PULMONOLOGIAI INTEZET (HU)
HEILSUGAESLA HOFUDBORGARSVAEDISINS (IS)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (IE)
ISTITUTO PER LO STUDIO E LA PREVENZIONE E LA RETE ONCOLOGICA (IT)
LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS SVEIKATOS APSAUGOS MINISTERIJA (LT)
MINISTRY FOR HEALTH AND ACTIVE AGEING - GOVERNMENT OF MALTA (MT)
INSTITUTIA MEDICO-SANITARA PUBLICA INSTITUTUL ONCOLOGIC (MD)
RIJKSINSTITUUT VOOR VOLKSGEZONDHEID EN MILIEU (NL)
HELSEDIREKTORATET (NO)
NARODOWY INSTYTUT ONKOLOGII IM. MARII SKLODOWSKIEJ-CURIE - PANSTWOWY INSTYTUT BADAWCZY (PL)
MINISTERIO DA SAUDE - REPUBLICA PORTUGUESA (PT)
INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE SANATATE PUBLICA (RO)
MINISTERSTVO ZDRAVOTNICTVA SLOVENSKEJ REPUBLIKY (SK)
ONKOLOSKI INSTITUT LJUBLJANA (SI)
INSTITUT CATALA D'ONCOLOGIA (ES)
SOCIALSTYRELSEN (SE)
STATE INSTITUTION PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF UKRAINE (UA)

Affiliated Entities

SLIMĪBU PROFILAKSES UN KONTROLES CENTRS (LV)
RĪGAS STRADIŅA UNIVERSITĀTE (LV)
PAULA STRADIŅA KLĪNISKĀ UNIVERSITĀTES SLIMNĪCA (LV)
UNIVERSITAT FUR WEITERBILDUNG KREMS (AT)
UMIT TIROL - PRIVATE UNIVERSITAT FUR GESUNDHEITSWISSENSCHAFTEN UND TECHNOLOGIE GMBH (AT)
CENTRUM VOOR KANKEROPSPORING (BE)
STICHTING KANKERREGISTER - FONDATION REGISTRE DU CANCER (BE)
CENTRE COMMUNAUTAIRE DE REFERENCE POUR LE DEPISTAGE DES CANCERS (BE)
UNIVERSITAIR ZIEKENHUIS ANTWERPEN (BE)
CENTRE BRUXELLOIS DE COORDINATION POUR LE DEPISTAGE ET LA PREVENTION DES CANCERS (BE)
KLINICKI BOLNICKI CENTAR ZAGREB (HR)
UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS (CY)
TARTU ULIKOOL (EE)
SUOMEN SYOPAYHDISTYS - CANCERFORENINGEN I FINLAND RY - CANCER SOCIETY OF FINLAND CSF (FI)
FEDERATION HOSPITALIERE DE FRANCE (FR)
HOSPICES CIVILS DE LYON (FR)
UNICANCER (FR)
ASSISTANCE PUBLIQUE HOPITAUX DE PARIS (FR)
PLATEFORME DES DONNEES DE SANTE (FR)
DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM HEIDELBERG (DE)
LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR PRAVENTIONSFORSCHUNG UND EPIDEMIOLOGIE - BIPS GMBH (DE)
DEUTSCHE KREBSGESELLSCHAFT EV (DE)
DIOIKISI 6IS YGEIONOMIKIS PERIFEREIAS PELOPONNISOU IONION NYSON IPEIROU KAI DYTIKIS ELLADAS (EL)
NEMZETI NEPEGESZSEGUGYI ES GYOGYSZERESZETI KOZPONT (HU)
LANDLAEKNIS EMBAETTID (IS)
HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE (IE)
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND (IE)
ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITA (IT)
MINISTERO DELLA SALUTE (IT)
AZIENDA UNITA SANITARIA LOCALE DI REGGIO EMILIA (IT)
REGIONE MARCHE (IT)
AZIENDA OSPEDALIERA CITTA DELLA SALUTE E DELLA SCIENZA DI TORINO (IT)
AZIENDA ULSS 4 VENETO ORIENTALE (IT)
ISTITUTO DI RICERCHE FARMACOLOGICHE MARIO NEGRI (IT)
UNIVERSITA CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE (IT)
PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO (IT)
FONDAZIONE IRCCS ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DEI TUMORI (IT)
REGIONE LOMBARDIA (IT)
ATS PAVIA (IT)
VIESOJI ISTAIGA VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETO LIGONINE SANTAROS KLINIKOS (LT)
LIETUVOS SVEITAKOS MOKSLU UNIVERSITETO LIGONINE KAUNO KLINIKOS (LT)
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM (NL)
STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM (NL)
STICHTING BEVOLKINGSONDERZOEK NEDERLAND (NL)
FOLKEHELSEINSTITUTTET (NO)
INSTYTUT GRUZLICY I CHOROB PLUC (PL)
INSTITUTO PORTUGUES DE ONCOLOGIA DO PORTO FRANCISCO GENTIL, EPE (PT)
UNIDADE LOCAL DE SAUDE DE SAO JOAO, E.P.E. (PT)
UNIDADE LOCAL DE SAÚDE SANTA MARIA (PT)
INSTITUTUL CLINIC FUNDENI (RO)
INSTITUTUL ONCOLOGIC PROF DR ION CHIRICUTA CLUJ-NAPOCA (RO)
NARODNY ONKOLOGICKY USTAV (SK)
NACIONALNI INSTITUT ZA JAVNO ZDRAVJE (SI)
ASOCIACIÓN INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN SISTEMAS DE SALUD-BIOSISTEMAK (ES)
FUNDACION PARA EL FOMENTO DE LA INVESTIGACION SANITARIA Y BIOMEDICA DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA (ES)
INSTITUTO ARAGONES DE CIENCIAS DE LA SALUD (ES)
FUNDACION INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MARQUES DE VALDECILLA (ES)
FUNDACIO INSTITUT HOSPITAL DEL MAR D INVESTIGACIONS MEDIQUES (ES)
SVERIGES KOMMUNER OCH REGIONER (SE)
STATE INSTITUTION VOZIANOV INSTITUTE OF UROLOGY OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES OF UKRAINE (UA)
NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (UA)

Associated Partners

INSTITUT JULES BORDET ASBL (BE)
MINISTERIE VAN VOLKSGEZONDHEID, WELZIJN EN SPORT (NL)
INSTITUTO TUMORI "GIOVANNI PAOLO II" IRCCS (IT)
AZIENDA SANITARIA LOCALE TARANTO (IT)
MSB MEDICAL SCHOOL BERLIN GMBH (DE)
CENTRUL NATIONAL DE SANATATE MINTALA SI LUPTA ANTODROG (RO)
INSTITUTUL REGIONAL DE ONCOLOGIE IASI (RO)

Participants from Odense University Hospital

Scientific and administrative participants from OUH Odense are senior researcher Iben Fasterholdt and research assistant Nanna Bluhme from the Department of Clinical Development, and Head of Research at CAI-X Benjamin S Rasmussen and Postdoc, MD Mohammad Talal Elhakim from the Department of Radiology.

From OUH Svendborg, grant writer Lasse Kaalby Møller and Postdoc Ulrik Deding will participate from the Department of Surgery.

Funding

Project "Implementation of cancer screening programmes (EUCanScreen)", LU registration no. ZD2024/21709 is financed by the EU4Health Programme of the European Union, Grant agreement no. 101162959.