However, checking the warning signs is quite simple. “An invitation is sent out to everyone by Medicare between the ages of 50 and 74. The test should be ordered from your treating physician and should be done at home every two years. It is very simple and painless. This is a stool sample taken with a kit and mailed back using a return envelope. “The analysis is done in one laboratory that receives all the tests,” explains Alice Fernhees, a prevention officer at the Cancer Control League. The results are then sent to the patient and their doctor.
The fact remains that hardly a third of the French concerned perform this examination completely free of charge. The numbers are also low locally with a screening rate of 28.1% in the Canton of Orthez and the Maâté and Salt Land and 29.7% in the entire Pyrénées-Atlantiques region. “Colon and rectal cancer was detected early in 9 out of 10 cases. In 96% of the examinations, no abnormality was detected,” says Dr. Hazem Haswani. The test should be systematically re-tested every two years until age 74.
Early diagnosis ensures cure
Benjamin Gandoet, director of the Regional Center for the Coordination of Cancer Screening, insists that “if the screening participation rate reaches 65%, we will avoid an additional 6,500 deaths each year.” A fact that prompted health professionals from Orthes Hospital, with the Association for Cancer Control and Medicare, to invest in the Super U shopping center, Tuesday, March 1, to educate customers.
Leaving the exit offices, a giant settler welcomes the wagons for an unusual visit. “The goal is first and foremost to advocate that attention be drawn to a topic that may be taboo or unattractive,” smiles Kristel Bleuven, a nurse on Prevention Team One at Orthes Hospital. Immersed in the inflatable structure, the curious discover the secrets of their digestive system. “This makes it possible to visualize the differences between the healthy wall and anomalies such as diverticula or polyps that can lead to the tumor process,” continues the nurse.
The exchange with oncologists also enhances the understanding of risk factors such as the lifestyle that must be observed to keep the disease at bay. “It is clear that physical activity such as following a healthy, balanced diet reduces risk,” comments Dr. Saadoun. On the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle, consumption of tobacco and alcohol makes the land favorable for the emergence of this cancer among the most deadly.
The Cologne Tour will be on Wednesday, March 2, at Gilliot Square in Oloron-Saint-Marie, from 10 a.m. to noon and at Leclerc Shopping Center in the city in the afternoon.
