Strengthening the screening of Lung Cancer in Europe (SOLACE), a pioneering new EU4Health project, has launched under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The SOLACE project will facilitate implementation of lung cancer screening programmes across Europe, breaking down the barriers to screening to ensure access for people across all social and economic groups.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer, and as with all cancers, survival rates are much higher when it is caught early. Low-Dose Computed Tomography scans (LDCT) are a safe, simple, and effective way of screening for lung cancer. Multiple trials in the USA and Europe have shown that LDCT, when effectively implemented, can reduce deaths from lung cancer by 20%.
The EU-funded SOLACE project supports Member States with implementation of LDCT programmes, with a particular focus on groups that are at higher risk due to health inequalities. The first pilot programmes will be run in 10 EU countries, with many of these will serving remote communities, which pose specific challenges due to their distance from a hospital. The project will be implemented by the SOLACE consortium under the scientific leadership of experts appointed by the European Society of Radiology and the European Respiratory Society, with European Lung Foundation and Lung Cancer Europe providing input from the patient perspective.
In the long term, the project will provide valuable learning on how best to implement a cost-effective screening programme for lung cancer, and the best techniques for reaching out to those groups that are at particularly high risk. This will ensure that those as most risk of lung cancer have access to high quality screening in a way that fits their needs.
The SOLACE project was officially launched on 1 April, 2023 and will run for three years.
“We have the evidence, we have the political will through Europe’s Beating cancer plan, and now – with the SOLACE project – we have the means to be able to scale up and strengthen lung cancer screening programmes across the European Union. I am proud that European Respiratory Society members and patients through Lungs Europe will have a key role in making this project an important milestone in the battle to save lives from lung cancer.”
Prof. Torsten Blum, SOLACE Coordination Team
To find out more, visit the SOLACE project website