LF MU and FN Brno Build a Joint Biobank of Clinical Samples
The Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno are establishing a joint biobank of biological samples. The initiative will help advance biomedical research.
The Faculty of Medicine to Contribute to Improving Breast Cancer Health Literacy
The Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University has joined an international project aimed at raising awareness about breast cancer, including its prevention and treatment options.
Breast cancer remains one of the most pressing public health issues in Europe. Data from EU countries show that one in eleven women will be diagnosed with this type of cancer in her lifetime. The highest-risk groups include women with hereditary BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, who face up to a tenfold increased risk.
Despite the availability of preventive measures, such as widespread screening and risk-reducing surgery, these options are often underutilized - frequently due to emotional stress, misconceptions, and low health literacy among patients. In addition, healthcare professionals often lack the tools needed to effectively communicate complex genetic information, which hinders informed decision-making.
The CHOICE initiative (Comprehensive Health Options and Information for Cancer Education) aims to address all these issues. Its purpose is to increase health literacy related to breast cancer, support patients in making difficult decisions such as whether to undergo preventive mastectomy, and at the same time empower healthcare professionals through education and better tools for patient care. Key project outcomes include a multilingual health literacy glossary containing over 2,000 terms, an interactive virtual library, and training programs for healthcare providers designed to improve communication with patients.
The project is funded by the EU4Health programme and brings together experts from Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Greece, including partners from the Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses at Masaryk University and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The project lead from the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University is Associate Professor Libor Streit, Head of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine.
