The Joint Action ‘Enhancing digital capabilities of cancer centres in Europe to improve prevention and care’ (eCAN Plus) is a flagship EU project in digital oncology and cross-border health data exchange. Its goal is to make the benefits of digital health accessible to all citizens, patients and healthcare professionals.

The initiative involves 81 organisations from 23 European countries. Together, they seek to address the increasing incidence of cancer, expected to rise by 20% by 2040. As part of this effort and building on the eCAN Joint Action’s experience (2022-2024), this project involves testing and piloting the safe and secure integration of digital tools and health data in order to improve the use and re-use of health data. The growing adoption of telemedicine tools and the European Health Data Space’s legal framework provide the foundation for implementing these mechanisms.

Through comprehensive mapping of current scenarios, training programmes, use cases, and pilots, eCAN Plus also intends to strengthen collaboration among cancer centres and enhance the digital skills of healthcare professionals. Moreover, by gathering and sharing knowledge from participating countries, eCAN Plus expects to develop recommendations and highlight best practices along the  cancer care pathway, thereby improving patients’ access to effective healthcare.

This project started on the 1st of May of 2025 and lasts until the 30th of April of 2029. It has been cofunded by the European Union (EU4Health Programme; Grant N° 101219434). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.