Personalised risk-stratified approaches in prevention of cancer and other NCDs: The Joint Action PreventNCD project.

AIMS: Effective non-communicable diseases prevention and risk reduction require a personalised approach tailored to individuals' characteristics. This work package of the Joint Action PreventNCD focuses on prevention at the individual level, providing evidence on the role that genetic susceptibility, as well as behavioural risk factors (such as tobacco use, or physical inactivity) play in prevention, and integrating the outcomes into a holistic approach for the prevention of cancer and other non-communicable diseases. An overview of existing personalised risk-stratified prevention strategies in the area of cancer and major non-communicable diseases will be provided, together with their ethical, legal and social implications. Finally, we will contribute to the development of a health communication framework for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, building on the risk communication strategies used during COVID-19 pandemic period.

METHODS: To achieve the aims of this work package, a combination of different methods will be used, spanning from literature reviews, to public engagement activities, to innovative pilot studies covering different genetic and behavioral risk factors driving cancer and some other non-communicable diseases (namely, genetic susceptibility, tobacco and nicotine consumption, and physical inactivity).

CONCLUSIONS: The interventions and activities in this work package will provide evidence on how the adoption of prevention strategies based on the concept of 'personalisation' and 'risk stratification' can contribute to alleviating the burden of cancer and non-communicable diseases by targeting the right population with the right intervention.