Breast cancer remains one of Europe’s most pressing public health challenges, particularly for women carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, who face a lifetime risk of up to 72%.

Despite available preventive measures such as enhanced screening and risk-reducing surgeries, these options are underutilized due to emotional distress, misconceptions, and low health literacy. Moreover, healthcare professionals often lack the tools to effectively communicate complex genetic information, which hampers informed decision-making.

To address these issues, NOVA IMS is leading the CHOICE project – Comprehensive Health Options and Information for Cancer Education. This three-year initiative, funded by the EU4Health Programme with a budget of approximately €1 million, aims to improve health literacy, empower women with BRCA mutations to make informed decisions, and support healthcare professionals in providing better patient care.

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team from Portugal, Czechia, and Greece, including partners from the Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses (IBA), Masaryk University (MU), and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). By leveraging expertise in data science, health communication, and digital innovation, CHOICE will develop multilingual educational materials, virtual patient simulations, and decision-support tools tailored to the needs of BRCA mutation carriers.

Led by Professor Diego Costa Pinto, NOVA IMS will also develop a health literacy algorithm to identify knowledge gaps and improve decision-making. Key project outputs include a multilingual health literacy dictionary with over 2,000 terms, an interactive virtual library, and training programs for healthcare providers to enhance communication with patients.

Aligned with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, CHOICE aims to reduce late-stage diagnoses by improving preventive measures and addressing disparities in access to reliable cancer information. By combining innovative data-driven approaches with patient-centered care, the project promises to make a significant impact on breast cancer prevention and care across Europe.