Breast cancer: “Fortunately there is that, because in a rural environment…”, two days after its arrival, the “Mammobile” is refueling in the Gers

They approach timidly, sometimes casting curious glances but often do not dare to climb the few steps that lead to the waiting room. So, Sandie Goulard, the health center coordinator, quietly accompanies them to the “Mammobile”. The truck, 16.50 meters long, has been parked since the day before in the parking lot of the Eauze health center. This Tuesday, November 5, it is due to welcome around forty Gersoises.

Around ten days after the announcement of the dates, the appointment book for this breast cancer screening system is full. “We knew there was a need, but we didn’t think so many women would come,” recognizes Julie Ribet, director of the Departmental Health Center, who launched the operation, with the support of the Regional Agency health (ARS). “We identified the territories in which the screening rates were the lowest and we chose to go towards these regions.”

An opportunity that Claudine seized. Aged 72, the Gersoise de Lannepax is part of the target of the system reserved for women aged 50 to 74. “I was supposed to do the mammogram last year, but I had other interventions and I ultimately didn’t do it,” explains the septuagenarian. “I was contacted recently about the “Mammobile” and I immediately made an appointment.” Usually, the retiree went to Auch to carry out the biannual examination: she therefore had to travel 40 kilometers, compared to 14 km to go to Eauze. “It’s okay because I can still drive,” Claudine continues. “But we don’t know if I will still be able to get around in a year… In rural areas, we lack a lot of things, so this is an excellent initiative.”

An optimized and intimate space

Once boarded the truck, shared between Ariège, Aude and Gers, the patients are greeted by the medical secretary who takes their information. And, sometimes, soothes the concerns that women may feel. That morning, one of them, following a bad experience, feared the pain she might feel during the exam. However, laughter escapes from the cabin next door: “You see, it seems to be going well,” assures the professional, member of the Ariège team.

In the optimized space of the truck, two cabins allow the Gersoises to undress before entering the room where a radio technician for the mammogram awaits them. The appointment ends with a consultation with a doctor or midwife from the Departmental Health Center or the Sexual Health Center. This Tuesday morning, it is Muriel Fabre who provides the palpation gestures. After an initial reading of the examinations, the results are then sent to the Regional Cancer Screening Coordination Center (CRCDC) for a second opinion.

Also read:
In Revel, due to lack of a radiologist, the mobile radiology truck is overrun

“To me, it looks good,” says a patient to the friend with whom she came. After having passed the different stages, the Gersoises get out of the vehicle, satisfied to have been able to carry out this examination close to their home. “Luckily there is that, because in a rural environment…” begins Odile, 60 years old. “Usually, I go to Auch but it’s much simpler this way.”

Like her, more than 180 women should be welcomed by the “Mammobile” teams for its first week in the department. After a full day in Eauze, it is in the direction of Plaisance-du-Gers that the pink truck will hit the road again on Wednesday, before making a stop in Auch on Thursday. By having participated in breast cancer screening and, thus, saving lives.

“Everyone pitched in”

It was therefore this Tuesday, November 5, at the beginning of the afternoon, near the Medical Center that the inauguration of the “Mammobile” took place in the presence of Gers elected officials but also of Catherine Guintoli, co-president of the the Ariège Prévention Mobile association, and Nadia Benoît, president of the Gers Cancer League.

The latter returned to the Pink October operation, specifying that the screening rate in the Gers is still too low: “Our department has strength in this partnership. I thank all the actors who managed to get around the obstacles with a lot of effort. determination. A service for all those women who, living far from imaging centers, have difficulty performing mammograms.” Catherine Guintoli recalled that following the alarming figures, the association was able to create this “Mammobile” with the ARS: “Everyone pitched in. We are happy to be able to come to the Gers…”

The president of the Department, Philippe Dupouy, specified that the “Mammobile” will crisscross the Gers until the end of 2024 and that it will return to the road in 2025: “This ambitious project reflects the desire to make screening breast cancer accessible to all and is part of a collective prevention strategy.”

Didier-Pier Florentin, director of the Gers branch of ARS Occitanie, thanked all the people who believed in this project, specifying that this work allows us to go as close as possible to the territories: “We must continue and increase even more in power.”

The prefect, Laurent Carrié, also congratulated those who invested in this achievement: “We really need to support this initiative and support it. I am very happy with this partnership and this great success.”