CONFERENCE
The meeting was opened by Professor Mārcis Leja (University of Latvia), who welcomed participants and outlined the project's overall progress and the role of TOGAS within the broader European cancer screening landscape. Representatives from DG SANTE and HaDEA presented on the project's contribution to the implementation of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.
A central part of the meeting was dedicated to the results of three pilot studies conducted within the project:
Pilot Study 1 — H. pylori screen-and-treat strategy for primary gastric cancer prevention in young adults across six EU member states (Bojan Tepeš, NIJZ);
Pilot Study 2 — Combined upper and lower gastrointestinal cancer screening and its benefits beyond cancer detection (Jan Bornschein, University of Latvia);
Pilot Study 3 — Long-term effects of H. pylori eradication in a middle-aged population (Danute Ražuka-Ebela, University of Latvia).
The afternoon sessions focused on the findings from work packages WP5, WP6 and WP3, covering public and policymaker attitudes towards gastric cancer screening, patient-reported experiences, general population survey data, cost-effectiveness modelling of gastric cancer prevention, and overall project evaluation.
The meeting concluded with a forward-looking presentation by Kateryna Priadko and Iveta Eniņa (University of Latvia) introducing the upcoming TOGAS Plus project, signalling the continuation of the shared commitment to bringing gastric cancer screening to EU member states.
 project took place at the University of Latvia Academic Centre "Zinātņu māja" in Riga, Latvia. The meeting brought together project partners from across Europe, representatives from the European Commission's DG SANTE and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), as well as members of the External Advisory Board.){kind=link}