World Lung Cancer Day – EU4Health and Horizon Europe projects working on early detection

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the EU. Early detection can significantly help reduce mortality as more options to improve patients’ outcomes and quality of life are available in the early stages of the disease. 

This is what several projects funded via EU programmes such as EU4Health and Horizon Europe are focusing on. At the occasion of World Lung Cancer Day, let’s see a few examples.

Horizon Europe – Mission on Cancer

Tobacco smoke represents the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, but other factors can contribute to the development of the disease. The LUCIA project is investigating new lung cancer risk factors, such as:

• Personal risk factors: a person’s exposure to chemical pollutants and behavioral and lifestyle factors; 
• External risk factors: urban, built and transport environments, social aspects and climate; 
• Biological responses: changes in genetics, epigenetics, metabolism and ageing.

In order to achieve this risk understanding, LUCIA is using tools such as cohort databases, AI models, different kinds of sensors and multi-omics analyses. The obtained results will then be validated via in-vivo and clinical use cases. Finally, LUCIA will produce policy making recommendations with the aim of informing lung cancer prevention and screening in Europe.

This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on ‘Understanding risk factors and determinants'.

EU4Health Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

SOLACE: Due to the heterogeneous landscape of lung cancer care in Europe, the existing screening trials need to be adapted to the real-world conditions of each European country. The SOLACE project is working to assess the current state of play, needs and best practice of Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) in EU countries and produce a comprehensive guideline and implementation package covering all steps of the screening pathway. Moreover, SOLACE will design, plan and roll-out three pilot projects in 10 EU countries involving more than 12000 participants and addressing key issues to increase participation such as gender aspects, inequalities regarding hard-to-reach and higher risk individuals. SOLACE will establish the European Lung Cancer Screening Alliance (ELCSA) serving as a long-lasting platform supporting implementation in all EU countries.

Moreover, a new Joint Action on Cancer Screening, EUCanScreen, has recently started and will officially kick off in September 2024. In addition to assuring sustainable implementation of high-quality screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, EUCanScreen aims to implement the recently recommended screening programs for lung, prostate and gastric cancers.  

Background 

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. 

Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020. 

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe. 

HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and tenders from 2021 to 2027. 

EU Mission: Cancer- By joining efforts across Europe with citizens, stakeholders and Member States, the Mission on Cancer together with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan will provide a better understanding of cancer, allow for earlier diagnosis and optimisation of treatment and improve cancer patients’ quality of life during and beyond their cancer treatment.