Yasmina Kattou / Credits: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
This March 1 marks the start of colorectal cancer awareness month, called “Blue March”. On this occasion, the National Cancer Institute is releasing a new television and digital campaign which will be broadcast from this Friday to encourage the French to get screened.
This March 1st, “blue March” begins. A period dedicated to colorectal cancers. Today, there are more than 48,000 new cases of colorectal cancer per year, or one death every 30 minutes (17,000/year). The National Cancer Institute is releasing a new television and digital campaign for the occasion which will be broadcast from today until the end of the month to encourage organized screening. An operation to be done every two years from the age of 50. Today, only 34% of men and women over 50 are screened.
Thanks to this campaign, the National Cancer Institute wants to make screening part of the routine for people over 50. It is therefore in a light tone that the theme is approached. The 30-second video spot features Marc, a man who is celebrating his 50th birthday. But before blowing out his candles, the brand new fifty-year-old hastens to be screened for colorectal cancer. When symptoms such as bleeding appear, it is often because the cancer is at an advanced stage.
https://youtu.be/5gdRr6j3LiQ?si=fD2Z08f-mAivcyrH
5,700 colorectal cancers could be avoided
However, detected early thanks to organized screening, the patient recovers in 9 out of 10 cases, insists Professor Norbert Ifrah, president of the National Cancer Institute. “When this cancer is diagnosed based on a symptom, five years later, only 14% of people are alive. Whereas, once the diagnosis of cancer is made at the very beginning, the colonoscopy will allow it to be removed without the need for additional treatment,” he explains. If the participation rate, currently 34%, reached the objective of 65%, 5,700 colorectal cancers and 6,600 deaths could be avoided each year.