All.Can Spain holds a workshop on the need to make progress on the new EU recommendation on cancer screening in the country
The event took place at the headquarters of the prestigious José Ortega y Gasset – Gregorio Marañón Foundation in Madrid.
The representatives of the institutions integrated in All.Can Spain shared their impressions on the screening situation in Spain with the expert Isabel Mosquera-Metcalfe, researcher in the Division of Early Detection, Prevention and Infections at the International Agency for Research against Cancer -IARC- of the World Health Organization.
The working meeting allowed progress to be made on a series of recommendations that will establish the common position of the Platform in Spain concerning cancer screening and the new European recommendation on lung, prostate, and gastric cancer.
Among others, the Platform worked side by side with Ms Mosquera addressing topics such as homogenization of screening programs between regions; improving citizens’ participation in existing cancer screening programs, facilitating access and providing adequate information to foster co-decision between them and health professionals; ensuring the development and implementation of best practices and standards, as well as continuous training for health professionals while monitoring and evaluating health outcomes; develop a system of cancer screening guidelines that can be rapidly modified and updated in the light of new scientific evidence; enhance research for the introduction of new screening methods, in particular for less invasive, blood-based cancer screening; or foster the use of data science in the healthcare system, leveraging artificial intelligence as a driver of innovation and accelerator of screening programs implementation.
The common position of the Platform will be announced on February 22nd in an event that will take place in the European Parliament headquarters in Madrid, with the participation of political decision-makers, scientific societies, and patients affected by new EU recommendation on cancer screening.