Health: cancer diagnoses on the rise in 2023

Marianne Boulart discovered her lung cancer in 2016. A smoker, she was offered a chest scan by her doctor at the time. Her cancer was then at an early and operable stage, but she had to quit smoking. In the majority of cases, lung cancer is not diagnosed in time because it remains undetectable for a long time. Dr. Olivier Leleu, head of the pneumology department at the Abbeville hospital center (Somme), explains: “There’s no pain. There’s no coughing up blood. You can’t feel it. […] The only method to diagnose these very small cancers is the low dose scanner.

Cancers on the rise

These screenings are all the more important as the number of cancers is on the rise, according to a recent study. 433,000 cancers were diagnosed in 2023, compared to 382,000 in 2018. In women, the number of cancers of the esophagus, pancreas or lung is increasing, sometimes significantly. In men, some are down, such as those in the stomach or lung. On the other hand, skin cancers are on the rise. The majority of new cases of cancer are linked to the increase and aging of the population.