The European Commission aims to increase screening in the EU to prevent and diagnose breast, cervical and colorectal cancers at an early stage, bringing them together to 90% of the population groups affected by 2025, as part of the plan to beat cancer. The Executive also recommends Member States to extend targeted screening to other cancers, in particular those of the prostate, lung and stomach.
To this end, the Commission’s recommendation extends the population group interested in breast cancer screening to women between 45 and 74 years of age (today the range is 50-69); Calls for human papillomavirus HPV testing to be done at least every 5 years for women between the ages of 30 and 65 and for people aged 50 to 74 to be tested for colorectal cancer through a fecal test to determine the need for potential follow-up via endoscopy or colonoscopy.