There are new EU guidelines for cancer screening. All within the framework of the European plan to fight cancer. It is, among other things, for the prevention of breast and cervical cancer.
In response to a European Commission proposal to improve cancer prevention through early detection, the Council of the European Union on Friday adopted a new approach to cancer screening. What exactly does this mean for the patients themselves? According to new assumptions, it is necessary to improve the early detection of cancer.
Great opportunities for screening
As we read in the EU message, thanks to the new approach, by 2025 90 percent. people in the EU who are eligible for screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer will be able to do so. Screening programs for prostate, lung and, under certain circumstances, gastric cancer should also be expanded.
For breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, the new EU approach recommends:
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screening for breast cancer by mammography in women aged 50 to 69, and it is proposed to include women aged 45 to 74;
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testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) as the preferred screening tool for cervical cancer in women aged 30 to 65 at intervals of at least five years;
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Quantitative stool immunoassay (FIT) as the preferred screening test for colorectal cancer to refer individuals aged 50 to 74 years for follow-up colonoscopy.
With regard to lung cancer, prostate cancer and gastric cancer, the Recommendation encourages Member States, on the basis of further research:
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investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of including people at risk of developing lung cancer, including heavy smokers and ex-smokers, in low-dose computed tomography screening and linking screening to primary and secondary prevention;
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assessed the feasibility and efficacy of screening for prostate cancer in men based on male prostate specific antigen testing in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a follow-up;
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implement screening strategies for the detection and treatment of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that can cause stomach cancer (countries and regions with the highest rates of incidence and mortality from stomach cancer).
Only half of cancer patients survive
– The adoption by the Council of the new EU recommendations on cancer screening is an important milestone in cancer treatment both nationally and at the European level. It has been 20 years since the adoption of the previous version of the recommendations. During this time, medicine has made incredible progress. Now is the time to implement new relevant screening guidelines in the EU and eliminate unacceptable inequalities in access to screening. “While I would like an even more ambitious approach to this issue, I have no doubt that this is a landmark moment for EU citizens and a great achievement in terms of implementing the European Cancer Plan,” said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. products. .
An estimated 2.7 million people in the European Union were diagnosed with cancer in 2020. It is estimated that one in two EU citizens will develop cancer in their lifetime, and only half of all cancer patients will survive.
Source: Wprost
