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in collaboration with
Dr Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
Medical validation:
January 27, 2023
Each year, cervical cancer kills hundreds of women. In this context, the National Cancer Institute has developed new information tools to encourage women to get screened.
Cervical cancer affects almost 3,000 women every year and is the cause of more than 1,100 deaths. However, more than 40% of the women concerned are not or not regularly screened, according to the National Cancer Institute. A scourge, which the organization tries to fight thanks to the implementation of new tools.
Screening for cervical cancer: who is concerned?
We can’t stop reminding ourselves enough: cervical cancer screening is for all women aged 25 to 65, whether or not they have been vaccinated against the papillomavirus.
Odile Bagot, gynecologist, specifies that these women concerned must however “ever had sex“. This screening is also for those “who haven’t had sex for a long time“, but also “straight cisgender women, homo cisgender women or transgender people, who have kept their uterus“.
This screening must follow a precise schedule: from 25 to 35 years old, the fairer sex must carry out a cytological examination; “The first at age 25, then the second one after, and then every three years“.
Then, from 30 to 65 years old, all women must carry out a virological smear.
“If the smear is negative, it should be taken every 5 years, but if it is positive, a second smear should be taken one after the examination“, emphasizes Dr. Bagot.
The good news ? “Usually, the virus disappears on its own”, specifies the expert. And for good reason : “The majority of women have a positive HPV smear during their lifetime, especially the youngest, who often have more intense sexual activity..”
If most of the time it is not serious, any positive smear, however, requires monitoring.
“If it is pathological and there is an abnormality of the cells, a colposcopy is considered in order to locate the lesion, its nature and its size.“, says Odile Bagot.
?Why the #CervicalCancerScreening does it matter? Who is affected by this screening? How is a screening test carried out? How often should it take place based on your age? Which healthcare professional should I contact? A video to understand everything ? pic.twitter.com/luWLUAMAMd
– National Cancer Institute (@Institut_cancer) January 23, 2023
Comics, Movies and Podcasts
In this context, the National Cancer Institute is trying to make French women concerned by screening as aware as possible of the need to carry out the examination regularly.
As such, the organization now offers several information tools adapted to each age group:
- A comic book based on the “Easy to read and understand” (FALC) method;
- An animated film;
- Audio chronicles, broadcast from January 23 to February 10 on radios, web radios and websites.
The objective of these new tools? “Promote a good understanding of the issues of this screening“, concludes the Institute.