Beating Cancer Inequalities through Literacy in Europe

ongoing

The CURTAIN project (15 partners from 9 European countries) aligns with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission to reduce cancer inequalities across Europe by focusing on cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and quality of life. These initiatives aim to address disparities between Eastern and Western Europe, urban and rural areas, and vulnerable socio-economic groups. Cancer remains a significant public health issue, with 2.78 million new cases in 2022 across the EU+2, and inequalities in cancer care are exacerbated by social and economic disparities, including gender and education gaps. CURTAIN will prioritize improving cancer literacy as a key element in reducing these inequalities and enhancing access to quality cancer prevention and care. CURTAIN has five key pillars of focus: cancer literacy among citizens, patients, healthcare professionals, organizational health literacy, and addressing knowledge gaps through digital tools. CURTAIN will develop the first cancer-specific literacy tool (Cancer Literacy Score - CLS) for seven countries (BG, IT, MD, MO, PT, RO, UA) to guide literacy campaigns. It will also build the capacity of patients to navigate cancer care systems and technologies, focusing on vulnerable groups. Training for healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, will be developed, and Cancer Literacy Ambassadors will be selected to enhance communication between providers and patients. In addition, CURTAIN will promote organizational cancer literacy by mapping stakeholders and creating cancer-literate environments, sharing best practices through a Virtual Cancer Literacy Library. Digital tools such as large language models will be harnessed to bridge knowledge gaps. CURTAIN will also address disinformation and misinformation in cancer literacy, ensuring that the project contributes to reducing inequalities and improving outcomes across Europe.