A major hospital in Thessaloniki, local health authorities and leading research institutions are collaborating to support cancer prevention and care through telemedicine tools, as part of a European project.
A cooperation agreement has been signed between the 3rd Health Region of Greece (3rd YPE), Papageorgiou Hospital, the Laboratory of Medical Physics and Digital Innovation at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), and the Institute of Applied Biosciences of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH).
The agreement forms part of the eCAN Plus project, in which the 3rd Health Region participates. The initiative brings together 23 European Union countries and 83 key partners, including public health authorities, universities, hospitals, oncology centres and patient associations.
One of the most pressing issues for modern societies, cancer places a significant burden on healthcare systems and national economies, and its incidence in Europe could increase by 20% by 2040, exceeding 5 million new cases annually. According to the organisers, the project will harness telemedicine to benefit citizens, patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), contributing to improved cancer prevention and care across Europe.
Within this framework, a comprehensive training programme will be implemented to strengthen digital skills, including telemedicine and e-health tools. The programme is intended for healthcare professionals, patients and the wider public, with the stated aim of enhancing prevention. At the same time, innovative telemedicine tools will be applied across different cancer care settings to assess their clinical use.
The agreement was signed on Thursday, 26 March at the offices of the 3rd Health Region. According to an announcement, the collaboration between the participating institutions has already produced "significant results" in both research and policy, which the agreement formally consolidates.
Anastasia Chatzidimitriou, Director of the Institute of Applied Biosciences at CERTH, said, "The signing of the memorandum of cooperation constitutes an important step for strengthening innovation in the health system and for leveraging telemedicine in our country and internationally."
Dimitrios Tsalikakis, Governor of the 3rd Health Region, said, "Our participation provides a chance to influence the future of digital health in Europe actively. It is an initiative that truly impacts healthcare systems."
Michalis Karaviotis, Chairman of the Board of Papageorgiou Hospital, explained, "Participating in this initiative allows us to help improve cancer management, which is continually rising—a challenge we also face at our hospital. We aim to contribute to expanding telemedicine tools by leveraging the experience gained from the joint eCAN effort, supporting healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers for better outcomes."
Panagiotis Bamidis, a Professor of Medical Physics, Medical Informatics, and Medical Education, and the Director of the Laboratory of Medical Physics and Digital Innovation at the School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, remarked that the eCAN Plus program builds on the success of the original eCAN project. He explained that partners are developing infrastructure for pilot telemedicine trials focused on cancer, aligning with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) specifications. The efforts also involve creating a training environment and strengthening skills essential for the project's implementation.
