Conference: Time to screen! Implementing new EU screening recommendations – 12 April 2023, 16.00 – 18.00 (CET)

Conference
Time to screen! Implementing new EU screening recommendations
12 April | 16:00-18:00
European Parliament, Spinelli 5E2

On 12 April, the Member of the European Parliament, Romana Jerkovic, will host the conference “Time to screen! Implementing new EU screening recommendations”, at the European Parliament. The event’s focus is the implementation of the updated European screening recommendations and strengthening cancer prevention through early detection. Professor George Griffin, FEAM Past President, will be one of the speakers in this event.

In 2022, FEAM led the development of the SAPEA report, “Improving Cancer Screening in the European Union“, published on 2 March 2022. The document gathered scientific evidence in this field which enabled the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to make recommendations to the European Commission.

Late in the year, as part of the European plan to fight cancer, the European Commission and the European Council have proposed new guidelines on cancer screening, with the aim to help EU countries ensure that 90% of the EU population who qualify for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings are offered screening by 2025.

According to the report EU Country Cancer Profiles 2023 and the data in the European Cancer Inequalities Registry, significant inequalities still exist among the Member States with respect to cancer screening programmes. The updated screening recommendations, as well as the financial resources provided by the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, are a major opportunity for the Member States to improve their secondary prevention. However, in order to achieve that, it is important to exchange knowledge, experiences and best practice examples.

Agenda: 

16:00 – 16:05 Welcome remarks
Romana Jerkovic, Member of the European Parliament, S&D

16:05 – 16:10 Video Keynote speech
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety

16:10 – 16:55 Panel 1: Setting the scene

• Prof. George Griffin, MD, FEAM Board Member and Coordinator of the FEAM-led SAPEA project on Cancer Screening, Emeritus Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medicine at St George’s University of London, UK
• Philippe Roux, Head of Unit, Cancer, Health in all Policies, European Commission
• Dr. sc. Gauden Galea, Strategic Advisor to the Regional Director on NCDs and Innovation, World Health Organization
• Dr. sc. Adela Maghear, Senior EU Affairs Manager, European Cancer Patient Coalition

Moderator: Lana Crnjac

16:55 – 17:10 Q&A

17:10 – 17:50 Panel 2: Sharing best practices

• Presentation of Croatia’s national lung cancer screening programme, Dr. Miroslav Samaržija, KBC Zagreb, Coordinator of the Croatian National Lung Cancer Screening Program
• Presentation of Slovenia’s organized population-based cervical cancer screening programme ZORA, Doc. dr. Urska Ivanus, MD, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana
  Head of the national cervical cancer screening programme in Slovenia
• Presentation of Portugal’s national breast cancer screening programme, Prof. Marta Pojo, Director of Health Projects, Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro

Moderator: Lana Crnjac

17:50 – 17:55 Q&A

17:55 – 18:00 Closing remarks
Romana Jerkovic, Member of the European Parliament, S&D

Find out more about the most recent recommendations on Cancer Screening.