Cancer and pro-active health care

Setting

Early detection of cancer and screening for risks of cancer constitute an enormous surplus value. Nevertheless, there are also some disadvantages to this kind of pro-active health care: false positives, false negatives, early detection does not always lead to a better cure, the right not to know, the huge social cost,...

Planning

1st step: scientifically reliable exploration of the theme, ‘Cancer and pro-active health care’, by means of a literature study. This study will provide a state of the affair concerning the scientific knowledge and the policies with respect to cancer and pro-active health care in Flanders and abroad.

2nd step: an exploration of the societal debate (opinions and positions in Flanders) through interviews with experts and stakeholders (ethicists, jurists, scientists, epidemiologists and other relevant actors). The basic assumptions of the literature study are being checked. This 2nd step aims at identifying the positions and controversies in Flanders, briefly comparing them to the societal debate in the neighbouring countries. The objective of this 2nd phase is to collect information about the concerns (listed under C.2 Broader Framework). In the project document, technology cases and examples of technological applications will illustrate these concerns. An exhaustive overview is required with respect to the description of the concerns, but not as far as the description of the technological applications is concerned.

3rd step: the objective of this potential follow-up step is to formulate recommendations for the Flemish parliament, possibly based upon the information which has been brought together during a meeting with the relevant stakeholders.

Contact: Els Van den Cruyce