“We realize that we can do just as well, more simply and with less toxicity” to treat them, says oncologist Jean-Yves Blay.

If the increase in risk factors explains the rise in the number of cancers, it is the advances in research which are at the origin of the fall in mortality, explains the doctor.

The 2024 panorama of cancers in France was published on Thursday, September 26 by the National Cancer Institute. 433,000 new cases were detected last year, a number that has doubled in 30 years, but these cancers are less deadly. Mortality decreased by 2% per year among men between 2011 and 2021, compared to -0.6% per year among women.

The increase of “risk factors” like the “overweight or decreased physical activity”explain this increase in the number of cases according to Jean-Yves Blay, president of Unicancer, the National Federation of Cancer Control Centers, invited Thursday on franceinfo. The French are also more numerous and older, recalls the oncologist.

Environmental pollution also plays a role in the incidence of cancers. “We see that exposure to fine particles is directly correlated with the incidence of lung cancers not linked to tobacco”explains Jean-Yves Blay. On the other hand, advances in research help explain the drop in mortality. “Living with stable cancer for a long time is something we have known for many years and the proportion is increasing”says the oncologist.

In mid-September, researchers announced improvements in the treatment of lung, bladder and cervical cancer. Oncologists are finding new treatments, but also new ways to treat patients. For example, concentrated radiotherapy to treat breast cancer, where the radiation sessions are grouped over three weeks instead of five. “We realize that we can do just as well, more simply and with less toxicity” to treat cancers, reacts Jean-Yves Blay. “Giving 15 sessions [de radiothérapie] instead of 25” also has “major financial impacts,” the oncologist emphasizes.

Despite this good news, France still has a lot of room for improvement in preventing certain ENT and genital cancers linked to papillomaviruses. The vaccination rate for girls is around 45%, compared to only 15.8% for boys, despite a vaccination campaign launched in middle schools in 2023. “It’s not enough at all”regrets the oncologist. “France is lagging far behind. Many countries are on the way to eradicating these cancers linked to the virus, because they have started [la vaccination] 10 to 15 years ago.”