AFP Videos – France
Breast cancer: in Strasbourg, a bus to talk about prevention
“I had a mammogram… twenty years ago!” To raise awareness of breast cancer, which affects one in eight women, a bus is coming to meet them in Strasbourg, hoping to remove taboos and apprehensions. With more than 61,000 new cases each year in France, breast cancer remains the most common among women. women. It is also the deadliest, with around 12,000 deaths per year. But detecting it early makes it easier to treat. This is the message of the day from the “Health Spot”, a traveling bus launched in September by the city of Strasbourg to improve access to health. On this market day, it stopped near the Art Museum modern, not far from a priority district of the city’s politics. A passerby with gray hair dotted with pink highlights recognizes that her last mammogram was more than two decades ago. “For the moment it’s okay,” assures this 87-year-old woman, before admitting: “I know we have to do it… Well, I’ll try. Where should we go?” If the “Health Spot” does not offer on-site screening, it advises and directs. At his side, a “breast bus” set up by the National Federation of Radiologists presents a mammography device and explains the procedure of an examination. – Multiple reasons – “What holds people back is fear “, estimates Philippe Host, radiologist. The patients he sees in his office “always have a little bit of stress”. But “A mammogram lasts three to four minutes” he recalls. “The device itself is scary, the word cancer is scary…”, testifies Anne Holzmann, 50 years old and member of the association of mutual aid “Patients in a network”. She herself was struck by breast cancer two years ago, and she encourages passers-by to get screened because “the sooner it is taken care of, the greater the chance of remission and cure.” When it is detected Early on, breast cancer is cured in nine out of ten cases. Women between 50 and 74 years old benefit from free screening every two years. But one in two women in this age group do not have a mammogram. Fear of having pain, of hearing bad news, difficulty getting an appointment… there are many reasons.” I saw a lady in her fifties, she said, ‘ah yes, I received the letter, but I’m not going to do the screening, I always tore it up or threw it away’, laments Alpha Bah, 44 years old, head of the NGO Ylla. Bearing the name of his wife who died of breast cancer in 2017, the association aims to raise awareness among the population, particularly from minorities. – “Questions without taboo” – “Most often, in Afro communities, talking about the body is “It’s a bit taboo, and people die of this disease in secret,” says Mr. Bah. Speaking about his personal story, he hopes women “wake up and go get tested.” This type of preventive action, “it is a first step in a health journey which allows you to be informed, to ask questions without taboo, without an appointment, and it is free”, emphasizes to the ‘AFP the environmentalist mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian. In addition to breast cancer, the “Health Spot” addresses mental health, diabetes and even smoking, as it travels from one district to another. “Desertification medical does not only concern rural areas, but also, increasingly, the urban environment. Therefore, it is important that health reaches out to the population, rather than it being up to the inhabitants to make the effort. find information, find a health professional”, underlines the mayor. Returning from the market with her children, Jamila, 39, sees an interest in it: “We don’t necessarily want to talk about it with our doctor, we’re a little embarrassed, whereas with strangers it’s easier.”pau/bdx/jco
