Colorectal cancer: screening, how does it work? – Featured

06 mars 2023

Diagnosed each year in 43,000 people, colorectal cancer is the subject of organized screening, for men and women aged 50 to 74. On the occasion of Mars Bleu, focus on the immunological test, simple, fast and effective, and yet insufficiently practiced in France.

In France, the participation rate in organized screening for colorectal cancer was around 35% over the period 2020-2021, indicates Public Health France. A rate up by 5 points compared to the years 2018-2019, but “still below the European standard (45%)”.

What does this screening consist of? This is an immunological test, to be carried out at home by taking a stool sample to detect the presence of blood. It is recommended “to men and women aged 50 to 74, with no symptoms or risk factors other than age”. That is 16.5 million French people in total.

If the test comes back positive, it does not necessarily indicate the presence of a tumour. To be sure, a colonoscopy is indicated, making it possible to detect the possible presence of polyps and to remove them before they evolve into cancer.

Manual

Simple to carry out, this test is carried out at home following receipt of the mail inviting you to obtain the kit in pharmacy. This can also be given by the attending physician, or ordered online. All you have to do is take a stool sample using a small stick, place it in an airtight tube and fill in the form received by mail. Then to send everything to the laboratory: the coordinates are indicated on this same letter.

Here is the how-to video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XIHH3ER6X8

Detected early enough, colorectal cancer can be cured in 90% of cases, compared to 13% when treated at a metastatic stage, indicates the Learned Society for Diseases and Cancers of the Digestive System.

To note : third cancer in terms of incidence, the colorectal tumor is the cause of approximately 17,000 deaths each year in France, according to the National Cancer Institute.

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  Source : National Cancer Institute, Public Health France, Learned Society for Diseases and Cancers of the Digestive System – March 2023

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  Written by : Charlotte David – Edited by: Emmanuel Ducreuzet