EUCanScreen

In 2020, 4 million new cancer cases and 1.9 million deaths due to cancer were recorded in Europe. While cancer survival rates improved between 2011 to 2021 and cancer mortality decreased by 12%, cancer prevalence increased by 24% in the 2010 to 2020 period. The combination of population ageing, which increases cancer incidence, along with declining cancer mortality rates, is likely resulting in higher cancer prevalence. 

In response to a 2022 European Commission Recommendation and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EUCanScreen project was established, aiming to assure sustainable implementation of high-quality screening for current (breast, cervical and colorectal cancer) screening programmes and to consider future recently recommended screening programmes. 

Critically important interventions including early detection and diagnosis can be achieved through population-based screening programmes and this 4-year Joint Action project seeks to establish an equitable framework, involving the technical, human and financial resources of 29 partnering countries across Europe. The project commenced in June 2024 with a total budget of over €38 million under the EU4Health initiative. 

Ireland is heavily involved in the EUCanScreen project across multiple Work Packages. The Department of Health is acting as the Competent Authority, with responsibility for the coordination of Irish inputs into the project. The Department is particularly involved in work related to the sustainable implementation of organised population-based cancer screening programmes and the classification and reporting of interval cancer rates. 

The National Screening Service (NSS) is also participating in numerous tasks; most notably those related to the barriers and facilitators to participation in screening programmes. The NSS will co-lead the task related to interval cancers, together with the Department of Health and will build on work previously undertaken in this area. 

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) are the third Irish organisation engaged in the EUCanScreen project. Their involvement is focused on a task considering the integration of smoking cessation approaches with low-dose CT screening in the identification of lung cancer among heavy smokers. 

Both the NSS and RCSI are involved in the project as Affiliated Entities. 

Building on an existing relationship, particularly through the CervScreen project (https://www.iarc.who.int/cervscreen-project/), the Department of Health is subcontracting the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) into EUCanScreen. IARC’s involvement spans across multiple work packages, with their expertise benefiting the consortium as a whole. 

Between the 12 and 15 of May, the three Irish partners and IARC attended the second EUCanScreen consortium event and collaborative sessions in Turin, Italy. This event was an opportunity for the various work packages to provide updates on work undertaken to date. Additionally, there were thematic presentations on ways to foster synergies with other EU-funded cancer screening research initiatives, and networking activities with relevant policy makers and scientific experts from other European countries. 

The Department of Health looks forward to continued active engagement with the EUCanScreen project, the results of which are expected to form part of the evidence base to inform future proposed changes to cancer screening policy in Ireland. 

For further information on the EUCanScreen Project, please visit: 

https://www.dypede.gr/eucanscreen/ and EU Funding & Tenders Portal