It has been a well-known fact that limited health literacy is associated with increased susceptibility to misinformation and poorer overall health outcomes.
A healthy literate population makes informed decisions about their health and navigates the healthcare system effectively. High health literacy leads to better health outcomes, while low health literacy is linked to preventable illness, higher healthcare costs, and poorer quality of life.
Overall, health literacy is a key factor in achieving good health outcomes and equity.
Cancer literacy is a specialised component of health literacy. It refers to the ability of individuals, communities, and organisations to find, understand, evaluate, and use information related to cancer to make informed decisions about prevention, early detection, treatment, and care.
Beyond simply knowing facts, cancer literacy involves the capacity to apply knowledge effectively for:
Global Health Connector is involved in the recently launched CURTAIN Project, a 3-year initiative co-funded by the EU4Health Programme and coordinated by the Center for Innovation in Medicine – INOMED.
By adopting the acronym CURTAIN (Cancer ineqUalities thRough liTerAcy IN Europe), the project highlights the persistent cancer inequalities between Eastern and Western Europe, which are visible today through the lens of the former Iron Curtain.
CURTAIN aims to reduce cancer-related inequalities across Europe by strengthening cancer literacy among citizens, health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and businesses. By fostering collaboration across sectors, CURTAIN shall close the gap in cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and survivorship. To achieve this, CURTAIN partners will create training programmes, Living Labs, workshops, awareness campaigns and develop innovative digital health resources and tools.
In addition to CURTAIN, Global Health Connector is also a partner in the Horizon Europe-funded 4P-CAN project, launched under the EU Cancer Mission. 4P-CAN focuses on improving prevention and early detection through personalised, people-centred, and participatory approaches. A key objective of the project is to strengthen cancer literacy across Eastern European countries, ensuring that citizens, caregivers, and local ecosystems can better understand cancer risks, engage in prevention, and access trustworthy information. By empowering communities and supporting local health and social care actors, 4P-CAN contributes to reducing cancer inequalities across Europe.
In an age when an overwhelming volume of information circulates across digital platforms, improving cancer literacy helps people find, understand, and trust credible health information.
Global Health Connector is also involved in the MAYA Project, a 4-year initiative funded by the Horizon Europe Programme and coordinated by the University of Ioannina.
Late effects of cancer treatment often lead to increased risk of developing cardiovascular health issues for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) cancer survivors. To improve cardiovascular health outcomes, MAYA partners aim to develop the iCARE health hub, a system designed to monitor and manage late-onset cardiovascular health issues and address gaps in care during the transition to post-treatment stages. Additionally, the iCARE hubs will improve health literacy by offering personalised coaching, helping survivors better understand their health condition, promoting independence and self-management.
Boosting and improving cancer literacy is key to reducing inequalities and improving outcomes across Europe. Partners from the CURTAIN and MAYA projects show how collaboration, innovation, and education can work together to close gaps in health outcomes.
