The Council of the European Union has adopted a new approach on cancer screening. This is an important step to improve early detection throughout the EU, an important goal of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. This new EU approach will help ensuring that 90% of the EU population who qualify for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings are offered such screening by 2025.

The new EU approach recommends:

• Breast cancer screening with mammography for women aged 50 to 69, and suggests it for women from 45 to 74 years
• Testing for human papilloma virus (HPV) as the preferred tool for cervical cancer screening for women aged 30 to 65, with an interval of five years or more
• Quantitative faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) as the preferred screening test for colorectal cancer screening before referring individuals between 50 and 74 years old to follow-up colonoscopy

Financial support for cancer screening is available, with €38.5 million already committed for projects under the EU4Health Programme, and €60 million under Horizon Europe. Under the 2023 EU4Health Work Programme, an additional 38.5 million will support Member States to implement this new Council Recommendation and to develop EU guidelines. Further support can also be provided from the European regional, cohesion and social funds.

Source: European Health Union: Commission welcomes adoption of new EU cancer screening recommendations