These two cancers are increasing at a “worrying” rate in women

For 20 years, the number of cancers has continued to increase in France, reaching 433,000 new people diagnosed with cancer per year. “Demographic change is the primary cause: the increase and aging of the population explain 78% of the change in incidence in men and 57% in women.“, we can read in the Panorama of cancers in France 2024, published for the fourth consecutive year by the National Cancer Institute (InCa).

In men in 2024, the most common cancers remain prostate cancer (with nearly 60,000 new cases), lung cancer (33,000 new cases) and colon-rectum cancer (26,000 new cases). . In women, these are breast cancers (61,000 new cases), colorectal cancer (21,000) and lung cancer (19,000).

In particular, two cancers show a “worrying” increase in the incidence rate in women over the last 13 years, in particular because of the increase in tobacco consumption (active and passive smoking) in the female population. Conversely, these two cancers are rather decreasing or stable in men. They are among the deadliest cancers and have a very unfavorable prognosis (cancers with a poor prognosis are those whose 5-year survival is less than 33%). “This unfavorable prognosis may be linked to late diagnosis, difficult-to-access location, rapid and aggressive progression, resistance to therapies or a lack of specific therapeutic solutions.“, explains the Institute.

The first cancer to increase sharply in women is lung cancer (+4.3% per year, average age at diagnosis: 66 years). “There is no other cancer where we observe such an increase.”told us Dr Maurice Pérol, oncologist specializing in thoracic cancers during a previous interview. The second cancer is pancreatic cancer (+2.1% per year, average age at diagnosis: 74 years) which now claims as many victims in men as in women (around 6,300 deaths per year). In this context, the Institute has certified for a period of 5 years, two first research networks of excellence, one dedicated to lung cancers, and the second to pancreatic cancers in order to better understand the disease and its ecosystem. and its evolution to find solutions to the most desperate situations.

Nearly half of cancers could be avoided each year, by reducing avoidable risk factors: stopping smoking, preventing overweight and obesity through a balanced diet (rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, without excess meats, cold meats, etc.), reduce alcohol consumption, limit fatty and sugary foods and engage in regular physical activity. Finally, for lung cancer, screening is being studied. Indeed, several trials/studies have shown the effectiveness of low-dose CT for this screening.