According to the European Cancer Organization, France is lagging behind in particular in screening for breast cancer and colorectal cancer. However, she notes that the country obtains good results in treating these diseases.
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France is lagging behind in cancer prevention and screening compared to its European neighbors, according to a report from the European Cancer Organization published Monday May 13. This federation of caregivers and patients compares cancer control policies in the different countries of the European Union and will present its results on Monday afternoon at the Curie Institute in Paris.
The European Cancer Organization notes that France obtains good results in treating cancers. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer in France is 87% compared to 83% at European level, up to 93% for prostate cancer compared to 87% on average for Europe.
But compared to its neighbors, France is lagging behind in prevention and screening. If it is above the European average for uterine cancer with a 58.8% screening rate compared to 56% in Europe, France has fallen behind for breast cancer 46.9% compared to 54%. in Europe almost eight points difference, 34.6% in Europe compared to 36% for colorectal cancer, according to the figures in this report.
Essential screening
We must therefore insist on screening campaigns, emphasize the authors of this study. Oncologist Matti Aapro, former president of the European Cancer Organization, highlights the results obtained by Belgium on screening: “They succeeded in convincing the population to carry out early detection of colorectal cancer and the cancers are detected much earlier.”
“In France, unfortunately, we continue to smoke”, deplores Matti Aapro. There are in fact 25.3% of daily cigarette smokers in France compared to 18.8% in Europe. The French drink 10.5 liters of alcohol per adult per year compared to 10 liters in Europe according to the results of this study. In France, “we continue to have insufficient vaccination coverage against the HPV virus which is responsible for cervical cancer and also other cancers”, regrets the oncologist. In France, vaccination coverage against papillomavirus for girls aged 9 to 14 is 42% while the European objective is 90%.
In addition to screening campaigns, the fight against medical deserts and access to health professionals are put forward as recommendations. For example, France has half as many doctors per capita as Sweden or Greece. According to the report, there are 858 nurses per 100,000 inhabitants in France compared to 879 in Europe, and 1.52 oncologists compared to 3.76 in the European Union.