Cancer screening policy is often shaped by clinical evidence alone, but this project systematically brings in the views of the public—including those from groups typically underrepresented in such decisions. The problem is that new screening technologies (such as blood tests for multiple cancers) raise complex ethical and communication questions. Policymakers currently lack timely, robust evidence on what diverse members of the public actually want from these programmes, or how they weigh trade-offs between early detection and potential harms like overdiagnosis. This project fills that gap by co-producing research directly with patients and the public, using methods such as citizens’ juries, surveys, and interviews. If successful, the findings will feed directly into Cancer Research UK’s policy publications and into decisions made by the UK National Screening Committee. The impact is on a system most people rarely think about—the infrastructure that decides who gets invited for which cancer test, and how those invitations are communicated. Better evidence on public preferences could make that system more trusted, more equitable, and more responsive to the people it serves.
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Background: Many new innovations in cancer screening and early diagnosis raise complex choices, communication challenges and ethical issues for patients and members of the public. These need to be well-understood to ensure that policy recommendations are in line with public priorities and preferences, taking into account the perspectives of diverse groups. Capacity to carry out research to understand public attitudes to complex topical issues in a timely way will support Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) Policy, Information and Communication (PIC) directorate in their work. Aims: Our aim is to provide the capability to co-produce research on policy-relevant issues in a timely manner, in collaboration with CRUK. The broad aims of this work will be to: 1) Take a multi-methods approach to produce in-depth and conclusive outputs on public and patient attitudes on complex issues related to cancer screening and diagnosis; 2) Prioritise inclusive research practice to ensure a diverse and inclusive approach, maximising the range of views identified; 3) Involve patients and the public at every stage of the research. Methods: We will work with CRUK to synthesise existing evidence and understand research gaps. We will then co-produce research questions in collaboration with patient and public involvement (PPI) partners, academic collaborators and other stakeholders. Once research questions and our approach have been agreed with CRUK, we will plan and carry out a series of high quality, methodologically robust studies, involving external academic, community and/or commercial partners as appropriate, and with PPI input. This will generate evidence that we will triangulate to draw insightful conclusions. Methods will depend on the evidence needed and may include citizens’ juries, discrete choice experiments, qualitative interviews/focus groups, population-based surveys or community research approaches. We have expertise in a range of rapid methods which will allow us to deliver findings in a timely way. All our work will be underpinned by appropriate theoretical frameworks and will place an emphasis on inclusivity. What value will the programme of work deliver? The work will generate policy-focused evidence which will contribute to the research literature as well as directly informing CRUK policy publications. We anticipate outputs being used by the UK National Screening Committee and other policy-focused bodies in their decision-making.
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