N. Duport

Are breast cancer screening practices associated with sociodemographic status and healthcare access? Analysis of a French cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to analyse the role of womens sociodemographic and healthcare access characteristics according to breast cancer screening practices (organized, individual or no screening). A cross-sectional study was set up in seven French districts using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Randomization was stratified proportionally on age and urban/rural status in each district separately among attendees and nonattendees to the organized breast cancer screening programme (OS). A total of 5638 women aged 50–74 years returned their questionnaires: 1480 in the attendee OS group and 4158 in the nonattendee group. Among them, 3537 declared having undergone a recent mammography outside the organized programme (individual, IS group) and 621 declared never having undergone a mammography or having done so more than 2 years ago (NS group). Analyses showed a gradient between the three groups (IS, OS and NS, respectively) in their association with breast cancer screening practices considering three factors: an increasing gradient was observed for renunciation of basic healthcare for financial reasons, a decreasing gradient in the regular visit to a medical gynaecologist and having had a Pap smear in the last 3 years. Three other variables that showed a decreasing gradient are: living with a partner, current use of hormone replacement therapy and having had a check-up in the last 5 years. In conclusion, the main differences between breast cancer screening practices were largely associated with difficulties in healthcare access, considering regular gynaecological visits in particular.

Parkinson disease male-to-female ratios increase with age: French nationwide study and meta-analysis

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is 1.5 times more frequent in men than women. Whether age modifies this ratio is unclear. We examined whether male-to-female (M–F) ratios change with age through a French nationwide prevalence/incidence study (2010) and a meta-analysis of incidence studies. Methods We used French national drug claims databases to identify PD cases using a validated algorithm. We computed M–F prevalence/incidence ratios overall and by age using Poisson regression. Ratios were regressed on age to estimate their annual change. We identified all PD incidence studies with age/sex-specific data, and performed a meta-analysis of M–F ratios. Results On the basis of 149 672 prevalent (50% women) and 25 438 incident (49% women) cases, age-standardised rates were higher in men (prevalence=2.865/1000; incidence=0.490/1000 person-years) than women (prevalence=1.934/1000; incidence=0.328/1000 person-years). The overall M–F ratio was 1.48 for prevalence and 1.49 for incidence. Prevalence and incidence M–F ratios increased by 0.05 and 0.14, respectively, per 10 years of age. Incidence was similar in men and women under 50 years (M–F ratio <1.2, p>0.20), and over 1.6 (p<0.001) times higher in men than women above 80 years (p trend <0.001). A meta-analysis of 22 incidence studies (14 126 cases, 46% women) confirmed that M– F ratios increased with age (0.26 per 10 years, p trend=0.005). Conclusions Age-increasing M–F ratios suggest that PD aetiology changes with age. Sex-related risk/protective factors may play a different role across the continuum of age at onset. This finding may inform aetiological PD research.

Characteristics of women using organized or opportunistic breast cancer screening in France. Analysis of the 2006 French Health, Health Care and Insurance Survey.

BACKGROUND This study aimed at (i) estimating the 2-year self-reported breast cancer screening coverage rate; and (ii) analyzing the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare access of women and breast cancer screening (opportunistic or organized) practices. METHODS From a 2006 French health survey, 2056 women aged 50 to 74 years were selected and divided into three groups according to their breast cancer screening practices during the previous 2 years: organized screening, opportunistic screening, or no screening. The three groups were compared according to self-reported sociodemographic status, healthcare access, screening behaviors, and perceived health, using polytomic regression. RESULTS The 2-year self-reported coverage rate was 75.8%. It was high among women aged 50 to 69 years and lower among older women. Questions relating to medical access (i.e. having consulted a GP in the last 12 months, having consulted a gynecologist in the last 12 months, and having had a Pap smear in the last 3 years) were the variables most commonly associated with a recent mammogram. Women having a regular follow-up by a gynecologist or having had cervical cancer screening within the last three years used organized breast cancer screening more often and used opportunistic breast cancer screening even more often than other women. CONCLUSION The study confirmed the key role of gynecologists and general practitioners in encouraging women to have a mammogram. Awareness among healthcare professionals and women of the benefits of organized breast cancer screening compared to opportunistic screening should be sustained and strengthened.

Characteristics of French people using organised colorectal cancer screening. Analysis of the 2010 French Health, Healthcare and Insurance Survey

OBJECTIVE To analyse relationships between socio-demographic characteristics, healthcare access, and behaviour with regard to participation in organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. METHODS We analysed a subset of 2,276 individuals from a cross-sectional population-based survey of French households in 2010. The outcome was participation in CRC screening using multiple logistic regression. The studied variables included socio-demographic characteristics, healthcare access-related variables, and health or perceived health. RESULTS Age, living in a pilot district for CRC screening, and having a private additional insurance were associated with participation in CRC screening for both genders. In men, other characteristics were associated: not having 100% coverage for medical fees for a long-term disease, having consulted a medical specialist in the last 12 months, and not smoking. In women, other cancer screening behaviours were associated with participation in CRC screening. Results also showed that 81.4% of individuals, who did not have a Hemoccult® test, consulted a GP in the last 12 months. CONCLUSIONS Despite efforts made, results confirmed that CRC screening differed among socioeconomic groups. GPs should be encouraged to systematically recommend CRC screening to their patients fitting the criteria of the organised CRC screening programme and further investigation is required to optimise information strategies targeting GPs.

Impact of subsequent screening episodes on the positive predictive value for advanced neoplasia and on the distribution of anatomic subsites of colorectal cancer: A population-based study on behalf of the French colorectal cancer screening program

BACKGROUND The anatomic distribution of advanced colorectal neoplasia is increasingly important for choosing screening strategies and treatment options. We sought to evaluate the impact of repeated screening on the positive predictive value (PPV) for advanced colorectal neoplasia (advanced adenoma, AA, and colorectal cancer, CRC) and their distribution according to anatomic subsite distribution in average-risk adults. METHOD The study included 98,031 men and women aged 50-74 who had a positive g-FOBT in 2010 and 2011 and underwent total colonoscopy. The PPV for detection of AA and CRC and the relative risks were determined with log-binomial models, and the distribution of anatomic subsites was estimated according to screening history. RESULT The median age was 61 years (62 years for participants with AA and 64 for those with CRC). The PPV for detection of advanced neoplasia was 24.5%, substantially higher in men than women (30.7% vs 17.7%), and it increased with age. It also fell at all screening episodes after the first. Subsequent screening episodes were associated with an increased RR for proximal AA (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.16-1.20). Advancing age (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.19-1.39 for every 10-year increase in age), female gender (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.19-1.44), and subsequent screening (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.27) were significantly and independently associated with detection of proximal adenocarcinoma. The latter was also detected at an advanced stage more often (RR, 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.42). Early stages of invasive adenocarcinoma (stages I and II) was more likely to be detected in a subsequent than an initial screening (RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13). CONCLUSION This study found that subsequent screening episodes using g-FOBT were associated with an increase in the detection rate of proximal AA and CRC, especially among women. The more frequent detection of proximal invasive adenocarcinoma at an advanced stage in subsequent screenings suggests that some of these tumors may well not be real incident lesions, but are likely to include lesions that were missed on the previous screens. Although modest, the increase in the rate of detection of invasive adenocarcinoma at early (and more curable) stages from the first to subsequent screenings, together with this potential for missed diagnoses on initial screening and the increased detection rate for proximal or rectal AA in subsequent screening episodes, underlines the need to reinforce the populations awareness of the importance of regular consistent screening, after negative results.