Over the past thirty years, the number of new cases of cancer has almost doubled in mainland France, a more marked increase in women due in particular to an increase in smoking. For 2023, the number of new cancers is estimated at 433,136 cases, indicates this work by Public Health France, the National Cancer Institute (Inca), the network of cancer registries Francim and the biostatistics-bioinformatics service of the Hospices civilians of Lyon (HCL).
The increase in the incidence of cancers is linked to a large extent to the demographic evolution of France (growth and aging of the population), but also to an increase in the risk linked to behavior and lifestyles, note the researchers. Among women, demographic changes explain only half of the increase in new cancers, much less than among men. The study’s estimates, based on cancer registries, are partly based on projections for the period 2019-2023, due to a lack of consolidated data. They therefore do not take into account the possible effects of the Covid crisis.
“For men, there are a lot of rather favorable developments, except for skin melanoma, pancreatic and kidney cancers which continue to increase. For women, the developments are unfavorable for more locations,” summarized Dr. Florence Molinié, President of Francim, during a press conference. On the difference in incidence between men and women, “the major factor is tobacco consumption, which has increased from certain generations of women after those of men”, she pointed out.
