This work package aims to prepare European Union screening programs for the implementation of multicancer early detection-based screening and personalised risk assessment. It focuses on ctDNA technologies, polygenic risk scores, and organisational readiness.This work package aims to prepare European Union screening programs for the implementation of multicancer early detection-based screening and personalised risk assessment. It focuses on ctDNA technologies, polygenic risk scores, and organisational readiness.
Document the path to implementation of circulating tumour DNA in multicancer early detection in the European setting. This includes evaluating the pros and cons of different circulating tumour DNA technologies and comparing circulating tumour DNA-based multicancer early detection with single cancer early detection.
Assess ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) by carrying out surveys among the target population. Also evaluate whether multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests meet the World Health Organization’s Wilson and Jungner criteria for screening.In addition, gather input from healthcare professionals across different European countries through surveys to better understand practical and country-specific perspectives.
Create a standardised approach for using polygenic risk scores (PRS) alongside clinical information and lifestyle factors to better assess cancer risk in specific populations.
This task will research whether adding risk factors, such as polygenic risk scores (PRS) and exposome risk scores (ERS), improves the value of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests based on circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA).
This task will assess the long-term effects of using multi-cancer early detection (MCED), both on its own and combined with risk-based screening. Task 6.5 will also evaluate how cost-effective these approaches are using health technology assessment (HTA). This work will be carried out in close collaboration with the relevant team (WP13).