A new European collaboration cluster, EARLYSCAN (Early Screening & Hereditary Cancer Awareness Network), has been launched to strengthen prevention and early detection strategies for heritable cancers. The cluster brings together three Horizon Europe–funded projects: SHIELD, DISARM, and PREDI-LYNCH.
EARLYSCAN operates under the EU’s Mission on Cancer priority area “Prevention & Early Detection – Early Detection of Heritable Cancers” and aims to maximize impact by aligning efforts, reducing duplication, and accelerating translation into practice.
Heritable cancers represent a major opportunity for earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes, as individuals with inherited genetic risk can benefit from targeted identification, surveillance, and follow-up. By working collaboratively across projects and countries, EARLYSCAN addresses early detection as an end-to-end pathway challenge rather than a single test performance issue.
The cluster brings together three projects with distinct but complementary clinical focuses and technological approaches:
- DISARM focuses on improving risk assessment and early detection of ovarian cancer through validated, affordable liquid biopsy approaches and implementation-ready solutions across multiple European countries.
- PREDI-LYNCH targets early detection of cancers in individuals with Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary cancer predisposition, using noninvasive liquid biopsy technologies combined with artificial intelligence (AI).
- SHIELD addresses early detection and surveillance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in individuals with familial or genetic risk, validating an innovative blood-based multiplex immunoassay within a multicenter European study.
Through EARLYSCAN, the three projects will work together under a shared governance and operating model built around dedicated working groups covering scientific oversight; clinical pathways; communication and dissemination; and technical data, reuse, and AI. Joint activities will focus on developing practical, reusable assets such as harmonized clinical pathway definitions, minimum endpoint dictionaries, shared recruitment and attrition reporting approaches, and common ethics- and GDPR-compliant practices.
A key objective of the collaboration is to ensure that evidence generated across different countries and health system contexts is comparable and ready for implementation.
By working as a coordinated cluster rather than as isolated projects, EARLYSCAN aims to contribute to more coherent European standards for early detection and surveillance in heritable cancers, support policy and guideline development, and ultimately improve outcomes for individuals and families at increased genetic risk of cancer.
The cluster’s common work plan will be formally consolidated at its first Annual Cluster Meeting in May 2026, with results, tools, and lessons progressively shared with the wider research, clinical, and policy communities.
