“Participation in organized screening for colorectal cancers was 34 % over the period 2022-2023. It is estimated that with this participation rate 2,500 people were saved. If we fell 65 %, we could save 6,000 to 6,500 lives, ”says Frédéric de Bels, head of the prevention department of the National Cancer Institute (INCa). It is not the lack of concern of the French who is in question but rather the difficulty of taking action.
Organized screening
On the occasion of the Inca 20 years, an investigation was carried out to collect the opinion of the population on the fight against the disease in France. Six in ten French people (57 %) identify early detection of the disease as the priority of action of the public authorities. 74 % place cancer screening as the dimension of the fight against the disease for which they expect the most progress. However, this strong conscience is not reflected in the figures of the three national programs of organized screening, the first of which was launched in 2004.
Indeed, according to Public Health France, only 44 % of the population concerned by these programs, namely healthy people, without risk factor, other than age, was dedicated to breast cancers between 2023-2024. “We must add to these figures women who make a so -called” individual “screening on prescription of their attending physician or their gynecologist, for example. But that is still not enough, ”adds Frédéric de Bels. The rate is 29.6 % for colorectal cancers over the same period and 59.5 % on 2021-2022 for those in the cervix.
“It’s when everything is fine,” says Frédéric de Bels
The latter puts forward several reasons for this difficulty to take action: “There is the fear of examination and the result. However, it is necessary to reassure. Early detecting makes it possible to increase the chances of healing and to have
lighter treatments and fewer sequelae. In addition, the test has a positive result only 4 % of the time and that does not necessarily mean that there is cancer. ” To limit the pain of screening, some tips are good to take. During mammography for example, it is recommended not to go there just before and during the rules, moments when the breasts are swollen and painful.
The location can also cause discomfort, like colorectal cancers, which touch the stool. Efforts have been made with a transition to the immunological test, available online since 2022 as well as an extension of health professionals authorized to put this screening kit (general practitioners and then pharmacists). Colonoscopy intervenes in a second step, if blood is detected in the stool.
The deadlines for obtaining an appointment can also be a brake, especially for breast cancers. Not all territories are equipped with approved radiologists with screening. “Professionals who
participate in the screening of breast cancers are specially trained. The exams take place every 2 years, do not hesitate to anticipate the appointment of appointments or to find out in a place further away from his home, ”recalls Frédéric de Bels.
Finally, some people, especially those in very good health or sports, do not feel concerned. “It is precisely when everything is fine that it is most interesting to do the screening, before the appearance of symptoms which already reflect the presence of the disease, recalls the head of the prevention department, it is also important to monitor these symptoms between two exams”.
Lung: a new program
A new organized screening program was launched in 2025 for lung cancers. They concern people aged 50 to 74, smokers and ex-smokers weaned for at least 15 years. A new step to raise awareness and encourage the French more to be tested.
