TOGAS aims to reduce the burden of gastric cancer by developing novel approaches for screening and early detection across the EU.

Project description

TOGAS will involve three pilot studies, each designed to address specific aspects of gastric cancer screening and early detection. Cost-effectiveness modelling and addressing medical ethics aspects will be an important integral part of the project. The TOGAS project has the objective of enhancing and promoting health within the European Union by reducing the impact of gastric cancer. Specifically, TOGAS aligns with Flagship 4 of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which focuses on establishing a new EU-supported cancer screening program. TOGAS achieves this by developing innovative methods for screening and early detection of gastric cancer, as well as exploring possibilities to expand screening to include new types of cancers that are currently not covered by the European Council’s recommendations.

The primary goal of the TOGAS project is to fill the existing knowledge gaps with evidence-based information. This knowledge will then be utilized to develop, plan, and implement effective gastric cancer prevention strategies throughout the European Union.
The project’s findings will assist policy makers in integrating gastric cancer screening into their healthcare agendas, taking into consideration factors such as effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and potential long-term adverse effects.

TOGAS has three specific objective:

• Assessment of state of play, as well as the needs of MSs and target populations in gastric cancer prevention, including information on “opportunistic” screening initiatives, organised in public and private setting.
• Assessment of the appropriateness of various gastric cancer-screening modalities for the use in the EU.
• Assuring the sustainability of the results by an effective dissemination strategy and coordination of the methodology with the approaches used within the EU, including the European Guidelines and Quality Assurance Schemes.