New EU grant aims to increase participation of vulnerable citizens in cancer screening programs
Researchers from the Department of Clinical Medicine and the University Clinic for Cancer Screening at Randers Regional Hospital have received DKK 6.7 million to help eliminate cervical cancer among vulnerable groups.
The University Clinic for Cancer Screening (UNICCA) at Randers Regional Hospital is the sole Danish partner in a large EU project that brings together 15 partners from eight European countries, supported by a total of DKK 49 million from the EU’s Horizon 2024 fund.
Professor and Chief Physician of the department, Berit Andersen, explains the project:
“This recognition reflects the strong international acknowledgment of our research and our approach to cancer screening programs. We have highly skilled researchers in Randers with specialized knowledge in intervention research and engaging socially disadvantaged groups in screening programs,” she says.
Senior Researcher and Associate Professor Pia Kirkegaard will contribute her unique experience and expertise in so-called stakeholder engagement.
“In Denmark, we are very close to our target groups and actually ask the people affected rather than just those around them, as is often done in other countries. Our task is to bring together citizens in the target group, clinicians, and policymakers to collaboratively design screening programs tailored to those who need them the most,” she says.
As part of the project, Pia Kirkegaard will collaborate with researchers from Spain, France, Sweden, and Romania on different target groups, including immigrants and sex workers.
The project's goal is to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer among vulnerable and high-risk groups by offering both HPV vaccination and screening simultaneously. The clinical study will take place in Denmark, focusing on women living with HIV and transgender men.
“We know that, for example, women living with HIV have up to six times higher risk of developing cervical cancer compared to the general population. Therefore, we will investigate whether offering a combined HPV vaccination and screening program during their regular hospital visits has an impact,” says Senior Researcher and Associate Professor Mette Tranberg, who is responsible for the Danish study - the first of its kind.
The clinical study will include 100 women living with HIV and 100 transgender men associated with infectious disease departments in the Central Denmark Region and the Region of Southern Denmark, as well as the Center for Gender Identity at Odense University Hospital.
Contact
Senior Researcher and Associate Professor Pia Kirkegaard
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Randers Regional Hospital, University Clinic for Cancer Screening (UNICCA)
Phone: +45 78420261
Email: pia.kirkegaard@clin.au.dk
Senior Researcher and Associate Professor Mette Tranberg
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Randers Regional Hospital, University Clinic for Cancer Screening (UNICCA)
Phone: +45 78420264
Email: mette.tranberg.nielsen@clin.au.dk
Based on press material from Randers Regional Hospital