“99% of women who have breast cancer diagnosed early will be cured”, underlines the chairman of the board of directors of the Institut Curie

“There is a 2% improvement in survival after breast cancer each year. So it is a progressive increase,” explains Alain Puisieux on Tuesday on France Inter, as the Pink October campaign begins to raise awareness of screening.

“99% of women who have breast cancer diagnosed early will be cured”, recalls Tuesday, October 1 on France Inter Alain Puisieux, president of the Board of Directors of the Institut Curie as Pink October begins on Tuesday. This annual global campaign is intended to raise awareness among women about breast cancer screening.

Out of more than 60,000 cases per year, 12,000 women die from breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. But over the past twenty years, therapeutic care has improved considerably. “There is a 2% improvement in survival after breast cancer each year. So it’s a gradual increase”specifies Alain Puisieux.

The head of the Board of Directors of the Institut Curie insists on the importance of early detection. “99% of women who have breast cancer diagnosed early will be cured. Unfortunately, there are still cases which are complicated cases, with cancers which have already progressed, that is to say which have been diagnosed too late”he says and in these cases, women pass “only 26% survival at five years”.

At the Institute, the major cancer center in Europe, we dream of a total cure for all breast cancers. “We really believe in it because there is a lot of progress being made both in the field of early diagnosis (…) and in the therapeutic management of these advanced cancers, these aggressive cancers”he explains.

On the other hand, “a world without cancer is absolutely not possible” because “it is inherent to multicellular life”, but “On the other hand, we think that we will gradually evolve towards a world where there will be no more incurable cancers. That’s the challenge”, explains Alain Puisieux.

In the meantime, there are 157,000 deaths per year in France due to cancer. For research to move forward, money is needed. “Very clearly, we do not have enough. There must be awareness among public authorities,” he said.

“There is a downward shift in research in France because we do not have enough investment in this area.”

Alain Puisieux, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institut Curie

on France Inter

He would like to pay tribute to the generosity of the general public “particularly important in a research center like ours. 35% of the operating budget comes from the generosity of the public. We must thank the volunteers and donors because they allow us to carry out competitive research”, explains Alain Puisieux.