The importance of Pink October in breast cancer prevention – Interview with Dr Déloménie

Breast cancer affects more than 59,000 women each year in France. Despite the progress made in screening and treatment, it remains the most common female cancer. Today, the chances of a cure are higher, especially if it is detected early. This is why events such as Pink October are necessary to raise public awareness of the importance of screening and identifying risk factors.
Predilife has been involved in the fight against breast cancer for many years by developing a predictive breast cancer assessment. As part of the implementation of this system, our team is in contact with health professionals who act every day for the well-being and cure of patients. This is the case of Dr Déloménie who agreed to talk to us about breast cancer today and the importance of prevention and screening messages.

The interview with Dr Déloménie in 4 key points

A growing number of breast cancers

As mentioned above, nearly 60,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in France. This number has been increasing for the last 30 years. This increase can be explained by
– an improvement in screening: more women are being screened, so mathematically more breast cancer is being diagnosed
– environmental factors: our lifestyle and environment are risk factors for breast cancer.

The relative success of organised breast cancer screening

Today, an organised breast cancer screening campaign is offered to every woman aged between 50 and 74. Fully paid for, it increases the chances of early detection of breast cancer and therefore improves the chances of survival. Indeed, 9 out of 10 breast cancers diagnosed early are cured.
However, as Dr Déloménie notes, only 1 in 2 women participate in this screening programme. There are many reasons for this:
– the impression of not being concerned by breast cancer ;
– fear of having a mammogram or facing a cancer diagnosis
– lack of access to care.
This last point is important because Dr Déloménie notes that the women who take part in the organised screening programme are those who already have regular follow-up with their doctor or gynaecologist. This shows that the issue of access to care and prevention messages is crucial.

Ways to improve breast cancer screening

Dr Déloménie distinguishes between individual and organised breast cancer screening. Individual screening concerns women outside the age group concerned by organised screening (i.e. women under 50). This screening is also very important because, as Dr Déloménie points out, 20% of breast cancers occur in women under 50. For the latter, predictive medicine has a role to play in determining risk profiles and thus enabling women under 50 to have faster access to screening examinations if they are considered to be at risk.

The importance of Pink October in the fight against breast cancer

In her daily work as a health professional, Dr Déloménie sees the impact of the national and global Pink October campaign. Self-care, for example, is a practice that has been democratised thanks to the prevention messages broadcast during the past months of October.
The publicity around this event also makes it possible to reach people who do not usually have access to prevention messages.