An estimated one in 20 Europeans has faced a cancer diagnosis, and these diagnoses are expected to increase 18% by 2040. At the same time, as increasingly effective cancer treatments help improve outcomes, managing patients’ cardiovascular health during and after treatment is becoming even more important. Some chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies can be associated with cardiovascular side effects, making earlier identification and management of these risks an important part of cancer care. Global studies show that heart-related complications are now the second leading cause of death in cancer survivors, after the cancer itself, accounting for up to 10% of mortality.

To help address this growing clinical challenge, more than 60 partners came together in 2026 to launch COMPASS, a five-year initiative co-funded by the EU’s Innovative Health Initiative. The consortium focuses on predicting cardiotoxicity risk, detecting cardiovascular disease at an earlier stage and personalising cancer and cardiovascular care. The goal is to help support patients in daily life and manage the long-term cardiovascular effects of cancer treatment, with the aim of enabling timely intervention and safer continuation of cancer therapy. COMPASS hopes to effectively translate clinically meaningful innovations into routine healthcare practice across Europe.

The public-private partnership has a budget of €50.5 million and more than 60 participating entities. Eigil Samset, General Manager, Cardiology Solutions, GE HealthCare and COMPASS Industry Lead, explains the role of GE Healthcare among these partners:

‘We are honoured to play an integral part as industry lead in this multidisciplinary collaboration, which brings together the expertise of leading European academic, clinical, industry and patient advocacy groups. By developing an AI-powered, integrated care pathway that connects oncologists and cardiologists in clinical practice, this collaboration has the potential to further improve cancer survival by tackling cardiovascular-related morbidity.’

Over the next five years, the COMPASS partners will focus on:

• Identifying novel biomarkers for cardiotoxicity diagnosis and risk stratification;
• AI-enabled predictive and clinical decision support tools; and
• Improved care delivery and enhanced patient engagement.

COMPASS’ outputs will be tested via clinical studies involving both cancer patients and survivors at different stages of care. Ultimately, the research will feed into an AI-powered clinical decision support system that will help clinicians balance cancer treatment efficacy with cardiotoxicity risk. The project will also generate standardised, sustainable cardio-oncology care pathways that will improve coordination between oncology and cardiology teams throughout Europe.