What is the current situation in your country, in terms of lung cancer screening?
In Germany, we have the first approval from the Federal Institution of Radiation Protection for Low Dose CT Screening. This means that screening can take place by specialised radiologists. Screening programes will be required to have a high quality level of CT scan and assessment and will need to be guided by Artificial Intelligence that can help healthcare professionals to detect and report on any lung nodules that are spotted during the scan. It will also need to be delivered by an approved centre for lung cancer management of findings.
Currently, there is no general healthcare reimbursement for LD CT Screening. This is expected by mid to end 2025.
What do you hope to achieve with SOLACE and what your message would be to other countries?
I hope that we can increase the awareness of screening in the general population and improve the approach to reaching people who are at risk, who do not necessarily have access to screening programmes.
What is your role and contribution to the project?
Together with our team, I am leading the SOLACE lung cancer screening part in the LungClinic in northern Germany, one of the approved lung cancer sites with a high number of lung cancer patients and huge interdisciplinary experience in diagnostics and treatment.
Why SOLACE is important to you?
SOLACE really represents a pan-European approach to work together comprehensively on the ambitious topic of lung cancer screening and to improve together the accessibility to screening programs to candidates, who are at risk.
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.
