What will the rollout of the National Organized Cervical Cancer Screening Program look like in France in 2022?

Background – Each year in France, cervical cancer affects nearly 3,000 new cases among women and causes 1,100 deaths, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that this type of cancer could be eradicated through screening and vaccination against human papillomavirus. Since 2018, cervical cancer screening in France has been based on the National Organized Cervical Cancer Screening Program (PNDOCCU). The objective of this study was to examine screening practices following the implementation of the PNDOCCU and the integration of the HPV test into screening in 2020 (for women aged 30 to 65) using real-world data. Method – Data were obtained from the National Health Data System (SNDS), which covers the entire French population. All cervical cancer screening procedures performed on women aged 25 to 65 from 2017 to 2022 were extracted. Results – In 2022, the PNDOCCU was at an uneven stage of implementation across regions, which can be partly explained by delays in rollout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, 4.77 million tests were performed, including 530,871 following an invitation. HPV testing accounted for 72% of screening procedures among women aged 30 to 65. The proportion of tests performed upon invitation was 11.1%: 10.3% among those aged 25–29, 9.6% among those aged 30–39, 10.0% among those aged 40–49, 12.4% among those aged 50–59, and 15.8% among those aged 60–65. Conclusion – Thanks to SNDS data, it was possible to demonstrate a positive trend in screening practices toward compliance with current recommendations. Further research is needed regarding screening pathways: women’s profiles and the role of invitations in long-term participation.

Author(s): Le Bihan-Benjamin Christine, Marchadier Agathe, Audiger Céline, Khati Inès, Barré-Pierrel Stéphanie

Publishing year: 2024

Pages: 82-91

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2024, n° 5, p. 82-91

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