Blue March: Month of Mobilization Against Colorectal Cancer

As every year, the month of March is dedicated to raising awareness among the population for the prevention and screening of colorectal cancer. Supported by the Department of Social Affairs and Health, the healthcare professionals in the Principality, and relayed by the Princess Grace Hospital Center and the Monégasque Screening Center, the Mars Bleu campaign involves numerous stakeholders. Colorectal cancer represents, in terms of mortality, the 2nd cancer in men and the 3rd in women, and its prognosis depends on the stage of diagnosis: this cancer can, in part, be prevented through screening for precancerous lesions, which also allows for early therapeutic intervention when cancer is detected. That is why all individuals aged 50 to 80, men or women, social insurance beneficiaries in the Principauté, will receive a letter inviting them to undergo screening.

A screening kit is available at the Monégasque Screening Center located at the Princess Grace Hospital Center, upon request from the treating physician, or from the Office of Occupational Medicine during a periodic medical visit. The screening kit, once completed and placed in a provided (pre-identified and pre-paid) envelope, should be deposited in a Principauté mailbox to be sent free of charge to the Biology Laboratory of the Princess Grace Hospital Center. The results will then be transmitted to the individual concerned and their treating physician in the following week. If the test is negative, it should be repeated two years later. In case of a positive test, the treating physician will be directly informed by the Monégasque Screening Center to organize the necessary colonoscopy. As part of the Mars Bleu campaign, the Palais Princier will be illuminated in blue on Friday, March 1st, to support this public health initiative. For any questions regarding colon cancer screening, please contact the Monégasque Screening Center at (+377) 97 98 83 02.