Cancer is a major global health challenge and remains one of the leading causes of mortality. Evidence shows that many cancers can be prevented or detected earlier through screening and targeted interventions. Primary care is central to this process, providing the first point of contact for patients and an essential setting for implementing evidence-based strategies. By identifying risk factors, facilitating access to screening, and supporting informed decision-making, primary care teams help translate preventive guidelines into routine practice.

This research is increasingly important as cancer incidence continues to rise globally, placing greater emphasis on prevention and early detection.

To advance research in this critical area, BMC Primary Care are inviting submissions to a Collection on Cancer screening and prevention, which is open for new submissions until 23 February 2026. This Collection seeks to bring together research that informs clinical practice and policy, with a special focus on:

• Innovations in early detection methods
• The role of primary care and general practitioners in cancer prevention
• Evaluation of screening guidelines
• Patient education strategies in screening
• Strategies for implementing and disseminating effective interventions
• Understanding the role of context (geographic area, practice setting, population served) on intervention uptake, tailoring, and effectiveness

Meet the Guest Editors

Melinda Davis, PhD, MCR, Oregon Health & Science University, USA

Dr Melinda Davis is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and is the Director of the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network and the OCTRI Community and Collaboration Core at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Dr Davis is a participatory implementation scientist who collaborates with patient, community, and health system partners to adapt and implement interventions to improve health equity in rural and low-resourced settings. Dr Davis leads a portfolio of research and technical assistance contracts funded by Federal and State partners and is currently co-lead of the Primary Care Rural and Frontier Clinical Trials Innovation Center (PRaCTICe), a CARE™ for Health Network Research Hub.

Csaba Móczár, PhD, MD, Semmelweis University, Hungary 

Dr Csaba Móczár is an associate lecturer and clinical trainer in the Department of Family Medicine at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He specializes in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine and is a family doctor. His academic and professional qualifications are Master of Healthcare Leadership and Master of Health Economics and Management. Dr Móczár is a member of the Hungarian Society of Nephrology, Cardiology, and Diabetology and the National Association of Family Medicine Researchers. He serves as a supervisory board member for the Hungarian Hypertension Society and is a direct member of the WONCA and EGPRN, WONCA Working Party on Research, European Society of Cardiology, and the European Society of Hypertension. Furthermore, he is the editor-in-chief of a Hungarian journal for general practitioners dealing with prevention in primary care. The main field of his research and teaching activities is prevention in primary care and the quality aspects of preventive work. He cooperates with the Public Health Department of the University of Debrecen, Hungary.

Submission guidelines

This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Review articles will be considered at the Editor’s discretion. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, SNAPP. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select [“Cancer screening and prevention”] from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.

If accepted for publication, article processing charges applies. Please click here to find out about our standard waiver policy.

The Collection is still open for submissions! The submission deadline is 23 February 2026.