The French Public Health Agency published the figures for systematic screening for cervical cancer on Thursday, July 4. For the period 2020-2022, the participation rate is 59.5%, a very slight increase compared to the period 2018-2020 (59%).
The coverage is therefore far below the 70% recommended by the European Union. Of these women, 11.6% were screened after receiving an invitation letter from social security.
Launched in 2018, Systematic screening for cervical cancer Available to all women aged 25 to 65. Helps detect the presence of the virus or abnormalities in the cells of the cervix.
Screening allows treatment before it develops into cancer. precancerous lesions Or to treat cancer at an early stage.
Cancer caused mainly by papillomaviruses
From 25 to 29 years old, the test is a cytological examination, i.e. cells taken from the cervix during a smear. The first two tests are performed one year apart and then three years apart if the results are normal.
Starting at age 30, the screening test consists of a Detection of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV-HR).
The first test is performed 3 years after the last cytological test and then every 5 years if the result is negative. As a reminder, cervical cancer is attributed, in 95-100% according to the Pasteur Institute, to a persistent infection, of 10 to 15 years, with the human papillomavirus.
Every year in France 3000 cases Cervical cancers It is diagnosed and 1,100 patients die. However, almost complete eradication of this cancer is possible, and this is particularly the case in Great Britain.
The two interventions that allow this are screening and vaccination. We have just seen that 40% of the women concerned are not tested. As for vaccination, the trend is increasing but it is still far from the target of 80% by 2030.
Vaccination coverage among 12-year-olds increases dramatically
Vaccination coverage with two doses (full schedule) for 16-year-old girls is estimated at 44.7% in 2023 and 41.5% in 2022. between boysWe are still very far from the goal.
The coverage rate of two-dose vaccination at age 16 was 15.8% in 2023 and 8.5% in 2022, an increase of 7.3 points.
For teenagers aged 12 and over who have benefited from it. College vaccination campaign In grade 5H Which was launched at the beginning of the academic year in September 2023, “A 17-point increase in vaccination coverage among girls and 15-point increase among boys was observed between the start and end of the campaign.” Public health determines France.
In Britain, where the vaccination rate is over 80%, cervical cancer rates have fallen by 87% among young girls who were vaccinated at the age of 12 to 13.
Worldwide, 350,000 women die from cervical cancer each year. While coverage of two doses of vaccination remains low in many countries, WHO, based on data published in 2022 by members of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), has changed its recommendations, moving to a single-dose regimen whose effectiveness has been proven.