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Six EU-funded cancer-related projects adopt EHDS
In a recent IDERHA paper, researchers including IDERHA members Rada Hussein, Somayeh Abedian, and Philip Gribbon, assessed the interoperability standards of six cancer-related projects, resulting in an interactive toolkit.
Rada HusseinWith the HSbooster.eu support, we analysed the interoperability standards recommended for the EHDS2 implementation among six data-driven EU projects focusing on cancer. Optimally, experience from completed projects helps ongoing projects decide which standards to focus on and learn from their limitations.
As part of Europe's Plan to Beat Cancer, the European Union has funded several projects, including six cancer-related projects: EUCAIM (European Cancer Imaging Initiative), ASCAPE (Artificial Intelligence Supporting Cancer Patients Across Europe), iHelp, BigPicture, the HealthData@EU pilot and IDERHA. These projects have been set up to address issues of data sharing, data storage, data access and processing, and all aim to improve the analysis of heterogeneous health data while aligning with the EHDS.
The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a regulation on the use and exchange of electronic health data in the European Union with the aim of improving patient care. The EHDS distinguishes between two types of data use: primary and secondary use. Primary use of health data refers to the use of health data directly in healthcare (EHDS1), while secondary use means that health data can be used for research, monitoring and policy development (EHDS2).
In a paper recently published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the authors looked at the interoperability standards used in these six projects. Between October 2023 and July 2024, the researchers brought the six projects together to solve one big problem: making health data and Internet of Things (IoT) systems work together perfectly. They did this by creating a template to help design the EHDS2 interoperability framework. This makes sure that it follows European and international standards. This template helped us to analyse how different projects implement the EHDS2 recommendations, compare best practices and identify solutions to common obstacles.
With the help of HSbooster.eu, the researchers got the projects to work together, helped them with legal requirements, guided them how to make sure the project continues in the future, and helped with technical standardisation. All these lessons, together with the template, will be compiled in an interactive toolkit. The authors are also working on setting global standards. The research is contributing to international efforts to create standards for IoT interoperability and pioneering new standards for digital pathology and AI-driven medical image analysis. By working together like this, the researchers are making it easier for healthcare systems to connect with each other and to be ready for the future.
Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24 March 2025