In France, three organized cancer screening programs are offered by invitation: colorectal and breast from 50 to 74 every 2 years, and cervical from 25 to 65, fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie). The prevention check-up, at ages 45–50, 60–65, and 70–75, checks that you are up to date and catches up on any that are missing.
What is organized cancer screening?
Organized cancer screening is a national program in which public health authorities invite, at regular intervals, a segment of the population defined by age and sex to take a screening test, fully covered (100%). It differs from individual screening, which is decided case by case between a patient and their doctor. In France, three cancers are covered: colorectal, breast, and cervical.
Screening looks for a lesion before any symptoms appear, in someone who feels well. That is what makes it effective and, at the same time, easy to put off: nothing hurts, nothing is urgent. In our practice, we regularly see 60-year-olds who have never done the colorectal test, not because they refused, but because the letter ended up in a pile. The prevention check-up was designed precisely for this kind of catch-up: cancer screening is one of its official topics.
The programs are coordinated in each region by a regional cancer screening coordination center (CRCDC); the French National Cancer Institute (Institut national du cancer) counts 18 of them, including France’s overseas territories.
What are the ages and intervals for organized cancer screening?
Two screening programs start at 50 and stop at 74, at 2-year intervals; the third concerns women aged 25 to 65, with an interval that changes at age 30. The table below summarizes the guidelines published by French National Health Insurance and the French National Cancer Institute, as of September 2026.
| Cancer | Who | Age range | Interval | Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal | Women and men | 50 to 74 | Every 2 years | Fecal immunochemical test for blood in the stool, done at home |
| Breast | Women | 50 to 74 | Every 2 years | Mammogram with double reading; clinical breast exam recommended every year |
| Cervical | Women | 25 to 65 | Ages 25–29: two cytology tests one year apart, then a third 3 years later; ages 30–65: HPV test every 5 years | Sample taken from the cervix, analyzed in a laboratory |
These ages apply to the general population. If you have a personal or family history, inflammatory bowel disease, or a genetic predisposition, specific follow-up replaces the organized program: it is prescribed by your doctor and follows neither the same ages nor the same intervals.
How does each screening test work?
What changes is where it happens: at home for the colon, at the radiologist’s for the breast, with a health professional for the cervix.
The colorectal test, at home
The test detects blood in the stool that is not visible to the naked eye. The kit is provided free of charge by your doctor (general practitioner, gynecologist, gastroenterologist), a pharmacist, or a nurse, and it can be ordered online from the dedicated French National Health Insurance website (monkit.depistage-colorectal.fr). You collect the sample at home and mail the tube back to the laboratory; the analysis is fully covered (100%). According to French National Health Insurance, the test is positive in about 4% of cases; it then leads to a colonoscopy, which finds a polyp in about 30% of cases and a cancerous lesion in about 8% of cases. Nearly 95% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed after age 50, and a cancer found at an early stage can be treated successfully in 9 out of 10 cases.
The mammogram, at the radiologist’s
A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breasts. In the organized program, every mammogram judged normal gets a second reading by an expert radiologist, which picks up about 6% additional cancers according to French National Health Insurance. The exam is fully covered (100%), with no upfront payment, when you present the invitation letter and your Carte Vitale (French health insurance card). One woman in eight develops breast cancer during her lifetime; detected early, it can be treated successfully in 9 out of 10 cases.
The cervical test, during a visit
The sample is taken by a gynecologist, a general practitioner (GP), or a midwife, in a private practice, a health center, a family planning center, or a hospital; some medical laboratories do it with a prescription. The exam takes a few minutes. From 25 to 29, it is a cytology test (examination of the cells); from 30 to 65, it is an HPV test that looks for high-risk human papillomaviruses, which cause nearly all of these cancers. Each year, more than 3,100 cervical cancers are diagnosed and about 800 women die from the disease; the French National Cancer Institute estimates that 90% could be prevented by screening. The analysis is fully covered (100%) with the invitation letter; the visit is reimbursed at 70% of the standard negotiated rate.
How are invitations sent, and what should you do without a letter?
For breast and colorectal screening, French National Health Insurance mails the invitation every 2 years, and it can also be viewed in your ameli account (ameli.fr, the French National Health Insurance website); if you do not respond, reminders follow at 6 and 12 months for the mammogram. For cervical screening, the national program, rolled out nationwide since 2018, invites women who have not been tested within the recommended interval; the French National Cancer Institute states that you can get tested even without a letter.
Without a letter, nothing stands in your way: colorectal kit from the pharmacist, mammogram prescribed by your doctor, cervical test with your midwife. If you are unsure about your situation, your CRCDC can advise you.
What does the prevention check-up help you catch up on?
First and foremost, the prevention check-up catches up on screenings that have not been done. In 2024–2025, 31% of the target population took part in colorectal cancer screening according to French National Health Insurance; participation in breast screening is estimated at 46.3% in 2023–2024 and in cervical screening at 55.8% in 2023. In other words, one person in two, sometimes two in three, does not benefit from the program.
In practice, at the three ages concerned:
- At 45–50, the prevention check-up at ages 45–50 prepares you for starting breast and colorectal screening at 50, checks your most recent cervical test, and identifies any family history that calls for earlier specific follow-up.
- At 60–65, the prevention check-up at ages 60–65 is the time to catch up: a colorectal test never done, an overdue mammogram, a last HPV test before leaving the program at 65.
- At 70–75, the prevention check-up at ages 70–75 checks the program’s final tests, at 74, and discusses whether it is worth continuing afterward depending on your health.
The check-up also addresses the barriers people don’t admit to in a rushed appointment: disgust at collecting a stool sample, fear of the result, the memory of a painful mammogram, embarrassment about the gynecological exam. We name them, we explain the procedure, and the missing screening becomes an action in the Personalized Prevention Plan, with a deadline and a designated contact person: “kit picked up at the pharmacy this week,” “mammogram appointment before November 30.” The plan is sent to your regular doctor (médecin traitant) unless you object, who then takes over. The preventive health examination at a health examination center is another opportunity to take stock.
Finally, the check-up places screening within prevention as a whole: smoking and alcohol, weight, physical activity, and diet all affect the risk of several cancers. For women, the topic overlaps with menopause and its prevention issues: a mammogram is also a prerequisite for any hormone therapy.
Which screenings are not organized and should be discussed with your doctor?
Three situations come up often in our practice: prostate, skin, and lung. None of them is covered by an organized screening program in 2026; each calls for an individual, informed decision with your doctor.
| Cancer | Organized screening? | What exists | To discuss with your doctor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prostate | No, neither in France nor elsewhere | PSA test on an individual basis | Benefit not demonstrated, risk of overdiagnosis: shared decision after being informed |
| Skin (melanoma and others) | No | Self-monitoring; exam by a dermatologist for people at risk | Fair skin, many moles, personal or family history, sun exposure |
| Lung | No; IMPULSION pilot research program | Low-dose chest CT scan in smokers and former smokers aged 50 to 74 | Eligibility for the pilot program, support to quit smoking |
Prostate: why there is no organized screening
According to the French National Cancer Institute, “there is no national prostate cancer screening program in France, nor in any other country,” because “the benefit of prostate cancer screening has not been clearly demonstrated.” An elevated PSA is not linked to cancer in 70% of cases, a low PSA can mask one in 10% of cases, and nearly half of the cancers detected by screening would remain latent without ever causing harm, whereas more than one man in two has at least one complication in the two years following treatment. So we discuss it with every man who wishes to, without pushing or discouraging, by laying out these figures.
Skin: self-monitoring and people at risk
There is no organized screening program for skin cancers. The French National Cancer Institute recommends monitoring your skin and seeing a doctor at the slightest doubt about a sore that won’t heal, a bump or scab that persists, or a mole that looks different from the others or that changes. People with fair skin, many moles, a personal or family history, or heavy exposure to ultraviolet light warrant follow-up by a dermatologist, at intervals set case by case.
Lung: a pilot program, not yet organized screening
The IMPULSION program is “a national trial aimed at organizing early lung cancer screening in France”: a low-dose chest CT scan, performed twice one year apart and then every two years, in smokers and former smokers aged 50 to 74, with personalized support to quit smoking. The French National Cancer Institute reports that combining the scan with quitting smoking reduces the risk of death from lung cancer by 38%. Enrollment began in spring 2026 for 20,000 participants. If you smoke or have smoked, it is a topic to raise at the check-up, first and foremost for quitting smoking, which remains the single most effective step.
Key takeaways
- Three organized screening programs: colorectal and breast from 50 to 74 every 2 years, cervical from 25 to 65 (HPV test every 5 years from age 30).
- Tests are fully covered (100%) with the invitation; without a letter, you can ask your pharmacist for the colorectal kit, and the cervical test can be done by a doctor or a midwife.
- About one person in two does not take part: the prevention check-up at ages 45–50, 60–65, and 70–75 checks, explains, and catches up.
- Prostate, skin, and lung cancers are not covered by organized screening: an individual, informed decision with your doctor.
- Any missing screening becomes a dated action in the Personalized Prevention Plan, sent to your regular doctor unless you object.
What Sokrate lets you do
The Sokrate service offers an online preparation questionnaire that lists the screenings you have done and those you are missing, your medical history, and your barriers, so you arrive at your prevention check-up with a clear picture. The personalized plan is signed by a doctor, a letter is sent to your regular doctor unless you object, and a care coordination nurse reminds you of upcoming deadlines. You can prepare your prevention check-up and your screenings today; to choose a professional, see how to book a prevention check-up.