Prevention practices and cancer screening among general practitioners in Picardy, France

Due to their frequent contact with a large proportion of the population, general practitioners (GPs) appear to play a particularly important role in primary and secondary (screening) cancer prevention. The objective of this survey was to describe the attitudes of GPs in relation to the major risk factors of cancer, and the most frequent forms of cancer screening.

A questionnaire concerning primary prevention and cancer screening by GPs was sent to all doctors in the Picardy region. In total, 480 GPs agreed to participate in this survey (31%). The questions concerned primary prevention (alcohol, smoking, diet, sun exposure, etc.) and cancer screening (breast, cervix, colorectal, prostate and other cancers). GPs were also questioned about their perception of these preventive actions and the difficulties that they encounter in application of these measures.

The most structured preventive action appears to concern smoking in terms of primary prevention. GPs report greater difficulties in the prevention of alcoholism or dietary advice. A marked diversity of clinical practice was also observed in terms of cancer screening, even for cancers for which clear guidelines have been defined, such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.

GPs appear to be receptive to cancer prevention, but encounter many difficulties in daily application due to lack of time or poor patient compliance.