1,000 new cases of cancer discovered every day

Every day, over 1,000 new cases of cancer are discovered in France. Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death nationwide and, despite prevention efforts, the number of cases per year has been steadily growing over the last 30 years, linked to an aging population and better diagnosis techniques. 

However, early detection and better treatment options have resulted in improved outcomes for patients. While existing screening programmes have failed to meet government targets, increased public awareness has driven up public participation levels.

Risk factors and some statistics 

Smoking and excess alcohol consumption continue to be the leading causes of cancer. Out of approximately 160,000 cancer deaths every year, some 45,000 have been found to be directly attributable to tobacco, making it the leading preventable cause, even if the number of smokers – and deaths – has been decreasing over the years. It is responsible for more than 80% of lung cancers and can also be a leading cause of several other cancers, including mouth, throat and bladder.

Alcohol consumption is the next largest cause, linked to around 28,000 new cases a year, in particular breast cancer. It has greatly reduced in recent decades due to less wine drinking, with the latest available figures (2020) showing an average consumption per adult equivalent to 10.5 litres of pure alcohol, compared to 11.7 in 2017 and 26 in 1961. 

However, this is still more than the European average of around 9 litres. The figures also hide trends such as the fact that binge drinking (episodes of heavy drinking) has increased among women aged 35 or more.

 Another trend is more people drinking white and rosé compared to the traditional red (which is sometimes claimed to be healthier), and a rise in beer-drinking as compared to wine. Food and drink watchdog FranceAgriMer found that wine sales fell by 45% between 2007 and 2023 but beer sales increased by 26%.

Poor diet comes next, with doctors advising against eating too much red meat and charcuterie, in particular. Too much salt, or salty food, is another factor. On the other hand, eating a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and dairy products is considered to be protective.

Too much sun exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer (more than 80% of these cancers). Other cancer risk factors include an overly sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise, or being overweight or obese. Doing about 30 minutes of vigorous activity per day is considered ideal. In France around 47% of people are considered overweight, of whom 17% are considered obese. There are regional variations, with the most obese people in the north and east of France.

Cancer mortality 

Cancer ‘prevalence’, referring to the number of people who have had a cancer diagnosis at some point, is estimated to be around 3.8 million in France. This includes new diagnoses, people currently receiving treatment and cancer survivors.

There were 433,136 new cases in the year 2023. Improvements in oncological care have improved survival rates but have also increased the total ‘prevalence’ result as screenings pick up more cases.

There were 162,400 cancer deaths in 2021 (latest figures from the Institut National du Cancer’s 2024 study Panorama des cancers en France), including 90,900 men and 71,500 women. The average age among these was 73 and women 75.

Improved prognosis 

Survival rates for many different types have improved significantly partly due to systematic screening programmes which have allowed doctors to detect cancers at an earlier stage and treatments that have become increasingly adapted to individual patients, allowing for personalised therapies that take into account a person’s genetics and immune response. The figures shown to the left are the latest published by the Fondation pour la recherche sur le cancer.

Rates of those ‘cured’ from cancer are also increasing, defined as no sign of recurrence after five years. The most improvement has been seen in prostate cancer, followed by colorectal, lung and breast.