The numbers are chilling. The bar of 50,000 new cases per year of lung cancer in France has been crossed. The reason for this sad record: an increase in the disease among women since smoking, the main cause of around 85% of all cases of lung cancer, has become part of their habits. According to figures from Public Health France (SPF), the number of cases of lung cancer has reached 19,339 women, or +4.3% in thirteen years. Small consolation, on the men’s side. If the number of lung cancers has fallen in thirteen years by -0.5%, there are on average more than 33,000 new cases each year.
“In France, the vast majority of lung cancers are discovered at a metastatic stage, which greatly reduces the chances of cure.“, argue the doctors who maintain that a “screening targeting people most at risk using low-dose chest CT“could reduce mortality.”Scientifically, the major benefit has been demonstrated“, they get annoyed, relying on two large studies, one Dutch-Belgian, the other American (Nelson and NLST) which showed a reduction in mortality of 20%.