The purpose of Gustave Roussy's Interception programme is to identify people at greater risk of developing cancer as early as possible in order to offer them personalised prevention and better care within a community-hospital setting. It also seeks to develop new cancer screening and prevention strategies for future use.
Personalised cancer prevention, a major pathway in the ongoing fight against cancer
Not only is cancer the primary cause of death in France and western countries, but it is also a major cause of morbidity and sequelae in survivors. Cancer prevention is a major public health issue. Numerous advances are in the pipeline, potentially including new-generation screening and personalised prevention in order to "intercept" cancer as early as possible and implement an early management approach. Many limitations in general public strategies have come to light with national screening programmes including moderate compliance, collateral effects such as false-positive results and over-diagnosis. Personalised prevention and screening based on individual cancer risk now constitute a way forward.
About 30-40% of cancers develop in individuals whose increased risk potential might have been identified years earlier.
Identifying a situation of increased risk for certain cancers heightens awareness from this point forward. It provides appropriate information and prompts screening and specific prevention strategies for those individuals concerned.
This strategy has proven to be effective (in the case of genetic predisposition, for example). The identification of risk factors in individuals is a gradual process requiring assessment and relevant information, either during consultations with the general practitioner or, more rarely, during specialised treatment (family genetics, histological at-risk lesion).
Prevention of cancer: what is the Interception programme?
The Interception programme is based on :
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the identification of specific risks in individuals seen in community practice or in hospitals
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an "Interception Day" organised at Gustave Roussy, in the form of consultations and awareness and education workshops
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personalised, appropriate preventive and screening follow-up, based on the individual’s choices, which will be carried out in a community practice as much as possible, in conjunction with the treating physician and community-hospital collaboration
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updating the follow-up plan if a new screening/prevention strategy comes to light
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a reduction in the time-to-treat if cancer is suspected or diagnosed (hot-line if treatment is required at Gustave Roussy)
What is an increased risk of cancer?
An individual is considered to be at increased risk of a particular cancer when, as a general rule, he or she is at least 2-3 times more likely to develop that cancer in his or her lifetime than other people. For example:
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in cases of significant family history and hereditary predisposition,
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in the case of pre-cancerous lesions or significant exposure to certain toxic substances, such as smoking, etc.
Risk scores combining several personal characteristics not only provide a better indication of the extent of the increased risk but also highlight ways of how to try to prevent it!
The identification of individual risks is constantly evolving, and requires adequate assessment and information:
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during consultations with the general practitioner,
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or, more rarely, during specialised management (family genetics, at-risk histological lesion).
Interception day, a benchmark in the fight against cancer
A day to refine the risk assessment and establish the patient's monitoring plan, the Interception day includes individual consultations and group workshops involving individuals with similar profiles. The purpose of the day is to improve people's knowledge of :
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their risk,
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advantages and disadvantages of screening and certain preventive measures,
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possible symptoms of the disease,
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potential treatments.
This information will assist participants in their prevention and screening choices with improved compliance and effective follow-up.
Ultimately, further follow-up is organised in close collaboration with the GP according to the wishes of the participant and those of his or her doctor (imaging, addictology, nutrition, colonoscopy, gynaecological follow-up, etc). In most cases, these procedures will be carried out in the community practice.
Individual profile pathways
The Interception programme offers individual profile pathways tailored to the needs of those at increased risk of developing cancer, in particular:
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people at increased risk of breast cancer
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people at increased risk of cancer due to toxic exposure
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people at increased risk of colorectal cancer
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people with rare predisposing genetic abnormalities
What types of cancer screening and prevention are available through Interception?
The proposals are made in line with current recommendations and are personalised. For example, women at high risk of breast cancer may have more frequent mammograms and annual MRI scans in certain situations. Individuals at increased risk of developing lung cancer may undergo an annual CT scan as part of a European programme.
Prevention is very diverse. We routinely offer nutritional assessment and personalised advice on diet and physical exercise, which can help reduce the number of cancers. The preventive measures available can also be more medical as in regular check-ups, or even surgical in some instances, e.g. individuals predisposed to breast and ovarian cancer.
How to join the Interception programme
Community or hospital doctors can refer their patients to the Interception programme after identifying situations indicative of an increased cancer risk in their patients.
In order to identify these risk situations more accurately, doctors can use the free online software developed by Gustave Roussy, available on request from
If you are a patient, please discuss your care with your referring doctor, who can contact us if necessary.
A dedicated number and messaging service if you are unsure
If you are being followed up in the Interception programme and have symptoms indicative of cancer, or if you have a cancer diagnosis, you can contact our Interception teams to organise your emergency treatment at Gustave Roussy on +33 (0) 1 42 11 23 75 or send an email to:
interception@gustaveroussy.fr. Our teams will reply within 48 hours.
A followed-up cohort
We ask Interception participants to provide us with a brief annual update. The cohort created through the programme will help us to improve our knowledge of individual risks and to assess the impact of the procedures on offer.
Individuals and their doctors can be contacted if new procedures become available (dedicated screening, innovative prevention).
