The European Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) aims to address the entire cancer pathway—from prevention to the quality of life of patients and survivors—focusing on improving prevention, early detection, access to diagnosis, and treatment.

The CAN.HEAL consortium focuses on two initiatives of the European Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP): “Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment for All” and “Genomics for Public Health.” Genomics is becoming increasingly important in cancer medicine. Next-generation sequencing technologies and analytical approaches are now being actively introduced into clinical practice, with a wide range of applications—from identifying individual actionable genetic alterations to monitoring treatment response. CAN.HEAL aims to serve as a flagship for collaboration among Member States and regional authorities, bridging the gap between genomics and public health diagnostics, and aligning clinical and population-level interventions.

As part of the Can.Heal consortium, organizations from 17 EU countries—including cancer health professionals and researchers, cancer patients, citizens, and policymakers in the healthcare sector—are jointly engaged in an ongoing study through 14 Work Packages. The goal is to promote equitable implementation of genomic technologies to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as to enhance understanding of the factors contributing to the development of specific cancer types. More specifically, the focus will be on the application of next-generation sequencing technology to detect various types of alterations, enabling timely and appropriate interventions for the right population, with the ultimate aim of improving health outcomes for all. In addition, the program will address ethical and legal issues and will implement comprehensive awareness, training, and education efforts to promote understanding of the role of genomics among healthcare professionals, patients, and the public.

Aims and results
The main targets of the project:
-Development of a long-term approach for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
-Development of tools and processes for the integration and alignment of clinical and population-level interventions that rely on genomic data derived from high-throughput parallel genome analyses.
-Development of national capacities and specialized education and training for healthcare professionals in genomics, cancer care, and cancer control.
-Strengthening genomic profiling for pediatric cancers.
-Deeper ethical and legal consents regarding access to medical information.

The ultimate goal of the project is to establish recommendations for initiatives within the EU health system that will further improve individuals’ and patients’ access to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment through personalized medicine.

Our role
ELLOK’s primary role focuses on bridging the gap between the clinical applications of genomics in cancer prevention and treatment and the general public, including cancer patients and their caregivers. Specifically, ELLOK is responsible for developing educational material on the concepts of genetics and genomics, tailored to the needs of citizens and cancer patients, as well as designing a dissemination plan for this material.
Επίσης, η ΕΛΛΟΚ έχει υποστηρικτικό ρόλο στη δημιουργία Βιοτραπεζών για τη μελέτη του Καρκίνου, ενώ θα συμβάλλει σημαντικά και στα υπόλοιπα Πακέτα Εργασίας μεταφέροντας τη φωνή των ασθενών στον ερευνητικό σχεδιασμό και στην υλοποίηση του έργου.

Website: Project - Can.Heal