Developed and launched at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Center (CLCC) Gustave Roussy in 2021—under the operational leadership of Unicancer and the scientific leadership of Gustave Roussy, led by Dr. Suzette Delaloge—the Interception program is now the subject of a national Article 51 pilot study. Its rollout is based on a multi-partner initiative involving the National Federation of French Mutual Insurance Companies (FNMF), the Patients en réseau association, and numerous community stakeholders (CPTS, URPS, DAC, MSP, and health centers).

It aims to identify individuals at increased risk of cancer as early as possible in order to offer them personalized prevention and improve their care, within the framework of enhanced city-hospital collaboration, in a context where nearly 40% of cancers occur in people who could have been identified as having an increased risk during the previous five to ten years.

The pilot program will be implemented over four years in seven healthcare facilities across the country:

• Gustave Roussy, in Villejuif
• Léon Bérard Center, in Lyon
• Eugène Marquis Center, in Rennes
• Sainte-Catherine – Avignon-Provence Cancer Institute
• Polyclinique du Parc (Elsan Group), in Saint-Saulve
• Reunion Island University Hospital, in Saint-Pierre
• Bergonié Institute, in Bordeaux

In total, 6,440 patients are expected to benefit from this new care pathway as part of the pilot program. 

According to Sophie Beaupère, Executive Director of Unicancer, “With the inclusion of the first patients, Interception is now scaling up and taking a decisive step forward. Our goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to organize early identification of high-risk individuals across different regions and to develop a personalized prevention pathway that fully integrates community and hospital care. The challenge now is to establish the conditions for its long-term sustainability and broader implementation.” 

The first patients are joining the Interception program

The pilot program is now entering its operational phase with the first patient enrollments during the “Interception” event held on Thursday, October 15, at Gustave Roussy, as part of a program focused on pancreatic cancer risk. 

“Since Gustave Roussy launched the personalized prevention program in 2021, more than 3,500 people have participated in Interception across all pathways. Today we are taking an important step forward with the enrollment of the first patients under Article 51. This pilot program aims to identify at-risk individuals earlier throughout France by integrating the entire care pathway—from initial consultations with referring physicians to follow-up care and the implementation of community-based prevention initiatives—into the program’s scope. ” explains Dr. Olivier Caron, who has led the Interception program at Gustave Roussy since Dr. Delaloge stepped down as head of INCa.

The care pathway proposed as part of the Interception pilot program includes several steps: 

• Identification of high-risk individuals by a healthcare professional using the Scorisk online questionnaire, followed by referral to an Interception center if there is a high risk of cancer;

• An “Interception Day,” designed to increase participants’ understanding of their risk, provide personalized prevention and screening measures, as well as individual consultations, assessments, specialized tests, and group workshops;

• The development of a Personalized Prevention Plan (PPP) outlining screening and risk-reduction measures tailored to each individual;

• Long-term support, including digital monitoring, assistance with behavioral change, and the option to participate in addiction or nutrition programs;

• Early intervention in the event of suspected or diagnosed cancer. 

Eligible patients may be referred to one of the eight care pathways offered as part of the pilot program: 

• Breast cancer (genetic risk FAR G)
• Breast cancer (non-genetic risk: FAR F/FAR A)
• Lung cancer
• Colon cancer (Lynch syndrome)
• Non-genetic colon cancer
• Childhood exposure to chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer

Assess the conditions for large-scale implementation and funding 

The implementation of this pilot program will make it possible to evaluate, on a national scale, the benefits of a personalized cancer prevention pathway, as well as the organizational and economic conditions necessary for its long-term sustainability.

The pilot program relies in particular on the implementation of a special funding mechanism, consisting of specific lump-sum payments to encourage healthcare professionals to identify and refer at-risk individuals, as well as to enable the provision of support and follow-up services following the “Interception” day. 

 Learn more

https://www.unicancer.fr/fr/espace-patients/interception/

https://www.gustaveroussy.fr/cancer-prevention/prevention-diagnostic/interception

https://www.gustaveroussy.fr/presse/sante-publique-prevention/interception-recoit-financement-6-millions-deuros-etape-decisive

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