The National Cancer Institute and Health Insurance encourage French people to get screened, particularly for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers.
- The National Cancer Institute and Health Insurance are calling for more French people to be screened.
- The cancers concerned by this call are breast, colorectal and cervical.
- Letters, emails, SMS reminders of screening campaigns sent by Health Insurance should be reinforced.
“Participation in screening remains insufficient, assured Thierry Breton, the director general of the National Cancer Institute (Inca) during a press conference which was held this Friday, January 26.
Cancer: screening for better healing
“For breast cancer, we are certainly at 47%, but the trend is downwardhe continues. For colorectal cancer, we are collectively failing with a participation of 34%, very low compared to the objectives of 60-70%. For cervical cancer, we are at 60%, but the goal is 80%.”
Faced with these figures, the Inca and Health Insurance advise the French to be screened more. This Friday, January 26, they launched “a call for mobilization“, because “these screenings allow for much greater cure and with fewer after-effects when cancer is detected early“, declared Thierry Breton.
Indeed, according to the Panorama of cancers in France – 2023 edition, the earlier malignant tumors are detected, the greater the chances of cure: 9 times out of 10 for colorectal cancer. For that of the cervix, it could be avoided in 90% of cases.
Screening campaigns reinforced by Health Insurance
This Friday, January 26, the two organizations therefore announced the implementation of measures aimed at “simplify daily life to make screening programs more accessible.“The letters, emails, SMS reminders of national prevention campaigns, sent by Health Insurance, should for example be reinforced.
A device “to go towards” will also be put in place for the most fragile and far from the healthcare system, like people with Supplementary Solidarity Health or insured people without a treating doctor. They will benefit from support interviews – by telephone call – when making an appointment or obtaining a kit. For that, “more than 100 teleadvisors, in seven platforms in mainland France and overseas, have been recruited and trained“, according to health insurance.
For colorectal cancer, the screening kit is available free of charge from your general practitioner, in pharmacies or to order online – via website Jefaismondepistage.e-cancer.fr – to receive it at home. Health Insurance invites adults from the age of 50 to 74 to take exams every two years.
For cervical cancer, the Inca recommended “carrying out a screening test for women every 3 years between the ages of 25 and 29, after 2 normal tests carried out one year apart, then every 5 years between the ages of 30 and 65.”
Finally, for breast cancer, from the age of 25, a exam breast clinic must be carried out every year by a doctor. Between 50 and 74 years old, women without symptoms or history are invited to be screened by a radiologist.
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