Cancer cases doubled in France since 1990

The number of cancer cases in France has doubled since 1990, according to the latest data from national health organisations, in part due to the changing demographic.

Cancer incidence in 2023 is twice as high as in 1990 in France, according to the results published on Tuesday (4 July) in the weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) by the Public Health Agency in France (SPF), the French Network of Cancer Registries (Francim), the National Cancer Institute (InCA) and the Lyon Civil Hospices. 

“There is a real and significant increase,” SPF experts warned on Monday during a press briefing.

The increase in the number of cases in France can be explained mainly by the ageing and growth of the population. However, the emergence of new risk factors, linked in particular to climate change, a more sedentary lifestyle and greater exposure to UV rays, are also contributing to it.

The study results also reveal a higher increase in the number of cancers among women compared to that of men.

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Bigger increase for women

The number of new cases of cancer per year per 100,000 inhabitants has risen by 98% in men and 104% in women, according to SPF data.

The rise is particularly seen in smoking-related cancers such as lung and lip, oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers.

Between 2010 and 2023, the number of lung cancers in women rose by over 4% per year, while it fell by 0.5% in men.

The same is true for other types of cancer. Between 1990 and 2023, colorectal cancer rose by 0.2% in women and fell by 0.3% in men. Liver cancer increased for both men and women but the increase among women was higher, reaching over 3%, while among men it was over 1%.

The increase in alcohol consumption, smoking and sedentary lifestyles among women partly explains the uptick in rates of cancer cases.

However, there has been a decline in stomach, ovarian and endometrial cancers among women.

These trends leave cancer the leading cause of premature death in men and the second leading cause in women, after cardiovascular diseases. Over 245,000 new cases of cancer were detected in men in 2023, compared with around 187,500 in women.

For both men and women, “prevention and screening remain a priority in the fight against cancer,” SPF said

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The European Commission launched its European Cancer Imaging Initiative on Monday (23 January), which aims to create a common digital infrastructure across the EU to facilitate data sharing on the disease.

Over two million cancer cases in Europe

In 2020, more than 2.6 million Europeans were diagnosed with the disease. The most common cancers include prostate, breast, lung and colorectal cancer.

If no action is taken, the number of cases is set to rise by 25% by 2035, making it the leading cause of premature death in Europe, the European Commission warned in its Beating Cancer plan, which was presented in 2021.

The plan is backed by €4 billion in funding, mainly through the EU4Health programme, and focuses on four key priorities: prevention, early detection, treatment and improving quality of life.

In addition to its plan to defeat cancer, the Commission is due to present two texts by the end of the year: a proposal for an EU Council recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers, and an update of another recommendation from 2009 on smoke-free environments.

The second recommendation aims to strengthen the protection of citizens against tobacco consumption and to contribute to achieving the goal of a “smoke-free generation” by 2024.

However, authorities’ ability to effectively reduce cancer rates depends largely on the implementation of national public health policies by EU governments, which vary widely in their care provisions.

“Screening is essential to improve early detection. However, the share of people who are screened for breast cancer varies widely, ranging from 6% to 90%, and from around 25% to 80% for cervical cancer,” said EU’s health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides last February, at the 2023 Cancer Conference in Stockholm.

[Edited by Giedrė Peseckytė/Nathalie Weatherald]

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