March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and DIOPTRA is taking action. We’ve launched a social media campaign, using #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth, to spotlight our progress in revolutionising screening measures, raising awareness of this disease, and advancing toward our ambitious goal of increasing participation in screening.
Last year, DIOPTRA and ONCOSCREEN held a webinar focused on CRC research and awareness. This year, we’re shining a light on the groundbreaking strides being made in detection with the leverage of AI, in a webinar that took place online on 12 March, called “Bridging Innovation and Care: Advancing Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Technologies.” The timing couldn’t have been more poignant, aligning perfectly with Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This event underscored the urgency of addressing a disease that, according to the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR), remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Europe, with a disproportionate impact on men and women.
The issue with screening
The heart of the matter lies in screening. While national screening programs have proven effective in reducing cancer incidence and mortality, the landscape across the EU is far from uniform. Countries with established programs have seen significant decreases, while others lag behind, facing stable or even rising incidence rates. This disparity highlights the critical need for accessible and effective screening solutions across the continent.
But it’s not just about availability; participation in screening varies widely, influenced by socioeconomic factors like education, income, and geographical location. This is where projects like DIOPTRA step in, aiming to bridge the gap by introducing innovative screening methods that consider individual risk factors and protein biomarkers.
Webinar recap
During the webinar, we heard from Stavros Miloulis (DIOPTRA coordination team) and Anax Fotopoulos (ONCOSCREEN’s coordinator), who provided insightful overviews of their respective projects. They emphasised the importance of collaboration and shared challenges, particularly in data retrieval.
“Even though our projects are research projects and we’re presenting something experimental, (…) we want to save lives,” they stated, reminding us of the human element driving this critical work.
The event also featured presentations from the ONCOSCREEN developers’ team, Pedro Lopez, Gerasimos Tzivras, and Dionisios Polyzos, who delved into the ONCO-CLIDE and ONCO-RISTE tools. They explained how these tools synergise with clinicians’ work and diagnostic methods, showcasing the tangible impact of innovation in healthcare.
Further, Professor Papanikolau, a leading expert CRC and a key contributor to the DIOPTRA project, delivered a highly informative overview of screening practices. His presentation covered current methodologies, participation rates across the EU, and the technical aspects of colonoscopies. He also provided insights into the DIOPTRA consortium and the strengths of its multidisciplinary approach. Following this, Ioannis Vezakis, AI/ML Engineer from Tecreando, presented on behalf of technical coordinator Christos Androtsous, discussing AI-driven innovations and technological advancements in screening. He specifically highlighted the functionalities of the DIOPTRA application.
In case you missed the webinar – on our YouTube channel you can find the replay.
This March, let’s spread awareness of colorectal cancer and let’s bring synergies alive!
