The National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) is contributing to a new Health Research Board-funded research programme that aims to strengthen cancer safety-netting, follow-up and referral processes in Irish general practice, supporting efforts to improve early cancer detection.

The programme, SAFER-C (Safety-netting for Early Cancer Detection in Primary Care), is led by Professor Patrick Redmond and the Primary Care Research into Cancer (PRiCAN) team at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Running over 36 months, the study will assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a structured, team-based intervention to support earlier recognition and diagnosis of cancer in primary care settings.

As a partner in the programme, NCRI will contribute its expertise in data linkage and cancer registration. The Registry will support the secure linkage of consenting participants' study information with national cancer registry records, helping researchers explore the feasibility of using registry data in future long-term studies and improving understanding of diagnostic pathways for patients presenting with non-specific symptoms.

SAFER-C will adapt ThinkCancer!, a successful whole-practice programme originally developed in Wales, for the Irish healthcare setting. ThinkCancer! is designed to improve cancer safety-netting by helping practices establish clear and reliable systems for monitoring symptoms, test results, referrals and follow-up actions, particularly for patients with symptoms that may indicate cancer but are not immediately specific.

The programme includes educational workshops for clinical and administrative staff, support in developing a Cancer Safety Netting Plan, and the appointment of a Cancer Safety Netting Champion within participating practices to help embed structured safety-netting processes into everyday workflows.

The adapted intervention will be tested through a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial involving up to 20 general practices across Ireland. Researchers will examine whether practices and patients can be successfully recruited and retained, how easily the programme can be integrated into routine practice, and what information is needed to support a future larger-scale trial.

A further component of SAFER-C is a Study Within a Trial (SWAT), which will investigate whether a more conversational and interactive electronic consent approach can improve participation among patients presenting with non-specific symptoms. The study will also examine participants' understanding of the research, their confidence in decision-making and their overall experience of the consent process.

Through its involvement in SAFER-C, NCRI will help establish practical approaches for linking research and cancer registry data, which could support future studies tracking patients over time and provide valuable insights into the pathways leading to a cancer diagnosis.

Bringing together experts in primary care, cancer research, cancer registration and health services, including representatives from the NCRI and the National Cancer Control Programme, SAFER-C will address important evidence gaps in early cancer diagnosis and support national efforts to promote earlier cancer detection.

The findings will inform the future development of cancer safety-netting interventions in Irish general practice and help determine whether a larger trial should be undertaken to evaluate their impact on patient outcomes and health service delivery.