today almost 4 million people in France live with cancer. And for many, the announcement of this sickness is still too often synonymous with death, sequelae for life. Yet immense progress has been made.
According to the most recent figures, 46,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2018. Still a large majority of men, with 31,000 cancers. On the other hand, be careful for 20 years, we observe a exponential increase in female cancers.
In 2000, 16% of new cases were in women. In 2020, according to a real-life epidemiological study, this proportion rises to 34%. In question, of course, the increase in smoking among women. Tobacco is, in fact, a major risk factor in 87% of lung cancers.
Smoking is not the only culprit. Lung cancer patients also include people who have never smoked a cigarette of their life. They were only 7% 20 years ago, they are nearly double today.
The most common cause is occupational exposure. L’asbestos is most often incriminated. Other risk factors are also mentioned, but to a lesser extent, such as air pollution.
Rapid treatment means recovery
Each year more than 30,000 people die from cancer. There are, of course, enormous advances for treatments, targeted therapies or immunotherapy, but screening remains complicated. the cancer being a disease that can remain silent for a long time.
However, for lung cancer taken at an early stage, with a tumor of less than one centimeter, the five-year survival chance is 90%. They are only 5% when the disease is at an advanced stage, with metastases.