Breast cancer has become the most diagnosed cancer in the world in 2020 ahead of lung cancer. The most affected regions of the world are high-income countries. Lifestyle risk factors are involved.
According to a new report published in CA:A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, signed by the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), breast cancer female breast is the most frequently diagnosed in the world before that of the lungs. This is a first. The announcement was made this Thursday, February 4, on the occasion of World Cancer Day, an international day of reflection observed each year with the aim of encouraging the prevention, detection and treatment of this disease.
In terms of numbers, while the world was focused on the fight against Covid-19, doctors recorded approximately 19.3 million new cases of cancer in 2020 (including nearly 468,000 in France) and nearly 10 million deaths attributed to cancer (185,621 deaths in France). In this sample, that of the female breast representing 11.7% of diagnosed cases, followed by lung (11.4%) and colorectal cancer (10%).
It's not entirely clear why the number of cases has changed. According to the authors of the report, rates of the disease appear to be increasing in areas of the world where they are historically low.
"Dramatic changes in lifestyle and the built environment have impacted the prevalence of breast cancer risk factors such as excess weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, delayed childbearing, fewer deliveries and less breastfeeding s,” the authors wrote.
Also according to this report, a large proportion of breast cancer-related deaths in 2020 would be due to late diagnoses . In 2020, organized screening suffered in particular from the confinements put in place in the fight against Covid. “People were also reluctant to go to the radiologist, gastroenterologist or general practitioner “, regrets Doctor Stéphane Cornelis on France Bleu Auxerre.
Also, the researchers insist that more work needs to be done to ensure that affected patients are taken care of more quickly.
On the French side, let us recall that the Head of State presented his long-term strategy for combating these diseases on Thursday. The goal is to reduce 60,000 per year by 2040 the number of "preventable cancers". To achieve this, Emmanuel Macron announced a 20% increase in the means deployed against a disease which remains the leading cause of death among men and the second among women.
The first priorities of the new strategy will focus on prevention, in particular against the dangers of smoking and alcohol. The Head of State also wishes to convince more French people to participate in the three organized screenings put in place:for breast cancer, colorectal cancer and, recently, the cervix in order to "carry out 1 million more screenings by 2025 compared to 9 million each year today.
