The Colon Tour passes through the Faculty of Pharmacy

[Press release] - Published on March 11, 2025 in Press Room, Environmental Issues and Social Responsibility

As part of Blue March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montpellier and the Montpellier Pharmacy Students' Association (AAEPM) are organizing an information and prevention day on March 27, 2025, open to the entire UM community. Supported by the League Against Cancer and the ANEPF (National Association of Pharmacy Students of France), the Colon Tour is stopping in Montpellier to raise awareness among pharmacy students, future actors in prevention and screening, as well as all university staff.

On March 27, the League Against Cancer will install a giant inflatable colon on the campus of the Faculty of Pharmacy to raise public awareness of the importance of screening. This prevention tool shows the inside of this little-known organ and the lesions that can occur there (diverticula, polyps, pedunculated polyps, cancer) to better explain the nature of examinations such as colonoscopies and to remove the barriers and taboos associated with this screening.

A national event to inform future pharmacists

Since 2022, pharmacists have been able to distribute colorectal cancer screening kits to asymptomatic individuals with no particular risk factors. To support this development, the League Against Cancer and the ANEPF have launched a national partnership to inform students about these new issues.

In 2024, the Colon Tour visited 16 pharmacy schools, representing 70% of all institutions, raising awareness among more than 1,600 people. Building on this success, the event will be repeated in 2025 to reach even more future healthcare professionals, but also to raise awareness among a wider audience.

A major public health issue

With more than 47,000 new cases in France in 2024, colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in men and the third deadliest in women, as highlighted by the League Against Cancer in its latest hard-hitting campaign called "Va chier !" ("Fuck off!"). " (Go to hell!). However, if detected at an early stage, it can be cured in 9 out of 10 cases. Screening therefore plays an essential role, and pharmacists, as the first point of contact for public health, now have a key mission to fulfill.

By hosting the Colon Tour, the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montpellier is fully committed to this approach to prevention and training for future healthcare professionals.

The day's schedule

The day will feature conferences, discussions with healthcare professionals, and awareness-raising stands:

• 9:30 a.m.: Installation of the giant colon and opening of partner organization booths.
• 11:30 a.m.: Opening remarks by Professor Dubois, President of the League Against Cancer, and Dr. Escande, Deputy Director of Campus Life at the Faculty of Pharmacy.
• All day until 4 p.m.: presence of the League Against Cancer, Regional Health Agency, SMILE (support for patients facing diagnosis), PENut'S (nutrition and cancer prevention), the Occitanie Regional Cancer Screening Coordination Center (cancer screening), CPAM, ROTARACT, Montpellier University Hospital – Immunology Department, as well as an AAEPM stand selling crêpes.
• 12:00 p.m.: PENut’S conference on the role of nutrition in cancer prevention.
• 12:45 p.m.: presentation on the role of pharmacists in cancer care.
• 4:00 p.m.: End of the event and departure of the giant colon.