The European Cancer Screening Policy Index is a composite score interpreting cancer screening data from different leading sources in the field. 

Sources currently used by the European Cancer Screening Policy Index are detailed below for each category and indicator: 

Overarching  

Cancer screening policy 

• Review of national cancer plans retrieved from the International cancer control partnership (ICCP)  

• Country-specific information retrieved from various national health authorities' websites and local experts 

Cancer screening registration 

Country-specific information retrieved from various national health authorities' websites and local experts  

Previously recommended cancer screening programmes  

All indicators (coverage, type of organisation, coverage rate, target age group, type of test provided, invitation strategy and invitation strategy; breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening) 

OECD (2024), Beating Cancer Inequalities in the EU: Spotlight on Cancer Prevention and Early Detection, OECD Health Policy Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/14fdc89a-en.  

Self-sampling availability (cervical cancer screening) 

HPV Prevention Atlas, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) 

Newly recommended cancer screening programmes 

Prostate cancer screening: Information provided by the PRAISE-U project  

 

Social inequalities 

Education 

Inequality score is calculated as an average from concentration indices computed from: 

• Self-reported last breast examination by X-ray among women by educational attainment level, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last cervical smear test among women by educational attainment level, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last colorectal cancer screening test by educational attainment level, Eurostat 

Income 

Inequality score is calculated as an average from concentration indices computed from: 

• Self-reported last breast examination by X-ray among women by income quintile, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last cervical smear test among women by income quintile, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last colorectal cancer screening test by income quintile, Eurostat 

Urbanisation 

Inequality score is calculated as an average from concentration indices computed from: 

• Self-reported last breast examination by X-ray among women by degree of urbanisation, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last cervical smear test among women by degree of urbanisation, Eurostat 

• Self-reported last colorectal cancer screening test by degree of urbanisation, Eurostat 

Concentration indices are a well-established methodology to quantify the degree of socioeconomic-related inequality in a health variable. Find out more here.