On World Lung Cancer Day (August 1st, 2023) SOLACE partners draw attention to the importance of implementing lung cancer screening programmes, especially for hard-to-reach populations and those at higher risk due to health inequalities.
According to WHO, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and is often being diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment options are limited. In 2018, it caused approximately 1.8 million deaths[1], while in 2020 there were more than 2.2 million lung cancer cases[2]. Furthermore, 1 in 16 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime, and more specifically 1 in 16 men and 1 in 17 women[3].
By the end of the project in 2026, SOLACE aims to advance knowledge on the implementation of cost-effective lung cancer screening programmes and to ensure that high-risk groups have access to high-quality screening. Among project targets is the creation of a Lung Cancer Screening Guideline with Quality Assurance Parameters, as well as the implementation of pilot projects to assess the feasibility of the screenings based on the requirements of national or regional health authorities.
The project’s profile and aims are now published on the EU4Health website of the European Commission, with Prof., MD, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor, SOLACE scientific coordinator, explaining in a video the motivation behind the project:
“Lung cancer is a major killer in oncology. Screening and early detection of lung cancer is a wonderful approach to reduce mortality, and SOLACE will implement and establish these lung cancer screening projects in many European countries.”
Prof., MD, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor also outlines the way that the project will contribute to the improvement of the lives of Europeans: “The challenge of lung cancer screening is to reproduce the wonderful results from clinical trials in the real world, and our project will therefore focus on reaching out to populations which will benefit most from it; females, socially deprived populations, ethnic minorities and patients with lung diseases.”
How can you get involved?
If you wish to contribute to the SOLACE project and help us reach these goals, we invite you to take part in our new survey on lung-cancer screening perceptions and practices in Europe. The survey is anonymous, it is targeted at health professionals and other relevant stakeholders and takes about 9 minutes to complete. The objective of this survey is to gather comprehensive data on the current status of lung cancer screening in each member state, as well as conduct a detailed needs and gap analysis. The survey is open until 22 September 2023.
In addition, you can subscribe to the SOLACE Stakeholder Forum, to stay connected and up-to-date with all the project developments. The members of the Forum will have the opportunity to provide input into the project via surveys and online discussions, as well as to participate in different working groups that will have an advisory role at EU and national level.
[2] https://www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org/lung-cancer-facts/#sources2
[3] https://www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org/lung-cancer-facts/#sources2
This project is co-funded under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027 under grant agreement no. 101101187. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
