Joint Action on the New EU Cancer Screening Scheme Implementation

The Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan has called for a new EU-Supported Cancer Screening Scheme to assure high performance of cancer screening programs across all Member States (MS). The general objective of EUCanScreen is to assure sustainable implementation of high-quality screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, as well as implementation of the recently recommended screening programs – for lung, prostate and gastric cancers. EUCanScreen will facilitate the reduction of cancer burden and achieving equity across the EU. Seven specific objectives have been set for EUCanScreen: 1) ensuring full implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers; 2) preparing for implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective and quality-assured screening programmes for lung, prostate and gastric cancers; 3) ensuring proper program governance and sustainability; 4) ensuring better-quality, timelier and comparable data collection and monitoring of screening programmes; 5) ensuring equal access of eligible EU citizens to screening programmes and reducing cancer inequalities; 6) ensuring capacity building in cancer screening, and 7) ensuring collaboration and coherence with related projects funded under EU Programmes. The work-plan of EUCanScreen has been built on the results of previous and ongoing major EU activities in screening and is composed of eleven interlinked work packages. The consortium is bringing together well-performing screening programs and those in need of substantial improvements. Twenty-nine partnering countries are represented in the consortium, including 25 EU MS, Ukraine, Moldova, Norway and Iceland. The project will be coordinated by the University of Latvia, and will also involve 28 competent authorities, 59 affiliated partners, and 10 associated partners.