On the occasion of Colon Day, a study reveals that only 30% of French people are screened for one of the deadliest cancers. It kills 17,500 each year.
As part of Mars Bleu and on the occasion of Colon Day, National Cancer Prevention Day colon organized by gastroenterologists, the French are invited to go on Tuesday 1er march in hospitals, clinics or even the closest medical offices to them.
The goal? Obtain information and assess their level of risk free of charge in order to carry out early diagnoses. Quite a construction site reveals a recent survey.
Known screening methods
Indeed, according to an OpinionWay study (1) conducted in December 2015 by the National Professional Council of Hepato Gastro-Enterology (CNPHGE), the majority of French people aged 50 and over declare to know the disease, for as much 1/4 of between them does not know exactly what it is.
In addition, the French do not feel concerned, because few of them have, in their family circle, cases of colon cancer. In addition, the late onset stage of symptoms and unrecognized family cases mean that nearly half of the French people questioned say they are not very worried about this subject, and the majority do not perceive themselves as being at risk. The authors of the survey also note that colonoscopy is the least used screening practice, because it represents a taboo in the private sphere.
French people aged 50 and over are, however, unanimous on the importance of having a screening test after 50 years. And the majority of them know the means to get tested: the Immunological test (86%) and colonoscopy (74%). The majority of French people are, moreover, aware of the possibilities of cure thanks to screening since 94% know that detected early, colon cancer can be cured in 9 out of 10 cases.
42,000 new cases each year
However, between awareness and reality, there is a real gap. Because even if the French know precisely and for the most part what colon cancer is, they still lack initiatives when it comes to screening. Only 30% of French people say they are screened for one of the deadliest cancers!
Side explanations, they answer to 59% that their doctor never recommended it to them. In addition, one in four people surveyed believe that a colonoscopy is a cumbersome and inconvenient examination to perform.
A more than damaging attitude when we know that 42,000 new cases of colon cancer are reported every year in France. And it kills 17,500 each year, 5 times more than road accidents.
Less noisy than the latter, colorectal cancers do develop without apparent symptoms, hence the importance of screening every 2 years from the age of 50!
(1) Study carried out by 1,002 people aged 50 and over. The sample was interviewed online from November 17 to 23, 2015.
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