Breast cancer and self-examination: 60% of French women do not know how to do it

13% of French women have never heard of breast self-examination. However, this method makes it possible to detect potential breast cancer early, and therefore save lives.

THE ESSENTIAL

In addition to self-examination, an annual breast examination by a gynecologist is recommended from the age of 25.
From the age of 50, it is also advisable to be screened every two years via a mammogram.

Carried out among 1,017 women aged 18 and over, a new Ifop/Gleeden study reveals that breast cancer screening has clearly progressed among French women since 1994, but that the frequency of self-examinations has changed very little.

Sound the alarm

In total, 60% of French women are not informed on the subject or do not know how to do it. 33% of women also never palpate their breasts alone, while 40% of them consider this gesture very useful. “The results of this study sound the alarm about the slow progress of women practicing self-examination in the prevention of breast cancer. commented François Kraus, head of the gender/sexuality division at Ifop.

How to self-palpate?

To raise awareness of the importance of self-examination and explain how to do it, Gleeden and Cerhom have created a humorous video entitled: “a real boobs movie” (see below).

From the age of 25, the self-examination must be done every month after the end of the rules. You must first inspect his chest visually, then palpate it with the three middle fingers (see the video below).

Breast cancers at an early stage of development at the time of diagnosis have a survival rate of more than 87%. Each year, nearly 59,000 women learn that they have developed the disease and more than 12,100 die from it.