Focus group on the acceptability of custom cancer screening within the EUCanScreen project

TitleExploring perceptions, opinions and acceptance of risk-based cancer screening among the general public and healthcare professionals

Project EUCanScreen – Implementation of Cancer Screening Programmes

Location Italy

Duration 2025–2027 (Joint Action EUCanScreen, 2024–2028)

Project coordinator University of Latvia

Funding European Union –  EU4Health Programme Grant Agreement n. 101162959

Context

Cancer is one of the leading causes of illness and death in Europe, despite the fact that a significant proportion of cancers can be prevented or diagnosed at an early stage through effective screening programmes. The EUCanScreen project is a European Joint Action that supports the implementation of high-quality cancer screening programmes and promotes the adoption of innovative and sustainable approaches across European Union member states.

One of the main areas of innovation concerns risk-based cancer screening, i.e. personalised screening programmes that tailor access, frequency or type of tests based on an individual’s risk of developing a specific disease.

Unlike traditional programmes, which are generally defined solely on the basis of age and sex, risk-based screening incorporates additional factors such as clinical conditions, lifestyle, environmental exposures and genetic information.

These approaches could improve the balance between the benefits, risks and costs of cancer screening, but they also raise important ethical, social and organisational issues. These include: the risk of increasing inequalities in access; difficulties in understanding risk information; the potential psychological effects of knowing one’s own level of risk; and the need to develop clear and appropriate communication tools.

For this reason, understanding the perception and level of acceptability of personalised screening among the public and healthcare professionals is a key factor in supporting its future implementation and communication.

General Objective

The Equity and Health Unit is contributing to Work Package 9 of the EUCanScreen Joint Action, which is dedicated to developing communication strategies and tools to promote informed choices in the field of personalised cancer screening. The research team will explore the public’s knowledge, perceptions and opinions regarding cancer risk and risk-based screening, examining the level of acceptability of potential changes to screening programmes and the information needs required to support informed decisions.

In parallel, the research aims to understand the perspectives of healthcare professionals regarding barriers, facilitators and organisational aspects related to the implementation of personalised screening programmes. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of recommendations and communication tools to ensure screening programmes that are more equitable, understandable and sustainable.

Our contribution

ARCO is participating in the research activities of WP9.1 in a number of ways. Firstly, by reviewing the scientific literature on decision-making processes, acceptability and communication strategies in personalised cancer screening, as well as by co-designing the international qualitative research protocol and developing tools for conducting focus groups.

During the project, the research team will conduct focus groups with the general public and healthcare professionals in Italy. The focus groups will focus on the main cancer screening programmes – for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer – and will explore issues related to understanding the concept of risk, the acceptability of personalised screening, trust in healthcare systems and information needs.

Similar activities will also be carried out in the other European countries involved in the Joint Action, with the aim of gathering different perspectives on the various healthcare and organisational contexts. The results will also help to identify potential social, communication and organisational barriers, supporting the development of recommendations to improve risk communication and promote informed decision-making. The aim is to provide guidance for the development of communication materials for risk-based screening.

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