A mobile mammography unit began operating in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, on October 10, 2022, as part of the national “Octobre Rose” (Pink October) campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer screening. The initiative, a collaboration between Roche, General Electric Healthcare, and the Île-de-France Regional Cancer Screening Center (CRC-DC Île-de-France), aimed to improve access to screening, particularly in areas with limited resources.
The deployment of the mobile unit comes as France sees approximately 9,000 recent cases of triple-negative breast cancer each year, representing 10% to 15% of all breast cancer diagnoses. This aggressive form of the disease, which lacks the common receptors found in other breast cancers – estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 – presents unique treatment challenges. According to the Collectif Triplettes roses, the absence of these receptors renders the cancer ineligible for treatments targeting them, such as hormonotherapy.
Alongside the mobile screening initiative, a promising new therapeutic strategy is emerging, focused on personalized RNA-based vaccines. Published in the journal Nature on February 18, 2026, the research, developed by BioNTech – the company that co-developed the first COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer – aims to limit cancer recurrence by training the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells specifically. This approach has already shown encouraging results in trials for pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
Ivry-sur-Seine has historically faced challenges in breast cancer screening participation rates. According to the CRC-DC Île-de-France, the city had the lowest participation rate in the department, at 25%. This prompted the regional center to deploy its mobile mammography unit to Ivry during Octobre Rose. The unit was staffed by experienced radiologists from the Institut Gustave Roussy, and offered opportunities for women to learn about self-examination techniques.
Despite a national organized screening program in place since 2004, inviting women aged 50 to 74 for biennial mammograms, Ivry-sur-Seine has struggled to maintain local screening facilities. The city’s last accredited screening center closed three years prior to the October 2022 initiative, due to a lack of replacement radiologists, forcing patients to seek screening services in neighboring Vitry-sur-Seine. This geographical barrier contributed to the low participation rates.
A local event, a walk organized by the city of Ivry on October 15, 2023, further aimed to raise awareness about breast cancer screening. The walk began at the town hall and various municipal centers, culminating at the Parc des Cormailles.
