"It's an aberration" according to doctors: only 34% of the French people concerned make this gesture, which is so important for their health.

It saves many lives, but this screening is not widely followed by the French.

When colorectal cancer is detected early, it can be cured in 9 out of 10 cases. This is why there is an organized screening program (as for breast and cervical cancer), inviting French people aged 50 to 74 to get tested every two years. But in 2021-2022, only a third of the 17.7 million eligible people took the test. Younger people and men are the least likely to participate. To better understand this situation, the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research conducted a survey of French people, the results of which were published in February 2025.

They reveal that the reasons that most prevent screening are: fear of the results for 57% of those concerned, then... embarrassment for 31% of them and disgust at talking about it (29%). Overall, talking about stools is taboo for more than one in two French people aged 45 and over. "This embarrassment limits discussions about screening, especially with loved ones," according to a press release from the ARC Foundation. Those targeted for screening are therefore not encouraged by those around them to get it done.

However, according to the survey, people who have taken the test "found it quick (93%), easy to do (87%), and not that unpleasant (77%)." They could therefore reassure people who have not yet taken the test, the latter being particularly embarrassed to do so. Overall, the majority of French people have a good image of the test, consider it important, reliable (84%), and easy to perform (78%). The colorectal cancer screening test is in fact very simply carried out at home, and it is painless and free.

"This is an aberration because 6,600 lives could be saved because of the taboo surrounding bowel movements," the ARC Foundation laments in the survey results. It believes there is an "urgent" need to "demystify and demystify crucial screening. It is time to lift this cultural taboo and normalize discussion around this subject to save lives." Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer: it kills approximately 18,000 people per year in France.