LUCIA study continues to enroll participants, accumulated data added to consortium database

In parallel, work is underway to prepare samples for in-depth studies by the project partners, as well as data analysis for volatile markers, the results of which will be integrated into the overall project performance.
Lung cancer is the third most common cause of death in the European Union, and five-year survival after diagnosis is still less than 20%. These figures are largely due to late diagnosis and the lack of effective screening programs. Although smoking is the main risk factor, knowledge about other causes of lung cancer - environmental, occupational and genetic factors - is still insufficient.

The LUCIA study is a European multicenter study aimed at developing predictive models for early diagnosis of lung cancer based on the identification of risk factors and understanding the disease at the cellular level, using risk assessment tools, non-invasive screening devices and genomic analysis. The project will result in the development of recommendations for an early diagnosis program and methods for effective prevention of lung cancer.
In total, the project plans to include approximately 6,000 adults aged 40 to 80, including both smokers and non-smokers. Data collection is also taking place in Riga, at the Eastern Hospital, thus ensuring Latvia's contribution to the international study. More than 300 participants from Latvia are included in the study.

“Currently, the LUCIA consortium members are preparing for the regular report in spring 2006, while the next consortium meeting is scheduled for April 2026 in Barcelona. Despite some difficulties, overall the project has entered a stable routine phase, as all the essential initial preparatory work has been successfully completed,” summed up the project coordinator in Latvia, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the LU KPMI Ilmārs Stonāns.
The LUCIA study is led by the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel, while in Latvia the project is being implemented by scientists from the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine of the University of Latvia under the scientific leadership of the Institute’s Principal Investigator and Chief Specialist in Pneumology at Riga East Clinical University Hospital, Prof. Alvils Krams.

The project is funded by the European Union’s research and innovation programme “Horizon Europe” under grant agreement No. 101096473, funded by the European Union.