1️⃣ ANALYTICAL SUMMARY

A still heavy burden, contrasting dynamics between women/men

In 2023, France records 433,136 new cases of cancer and 164,314 deaths; cancers remain the 1ʳᵉ cause of death in men and the 2ᵉ in women (p. 10-11). The world standardised incidence rate continues to increase in women (+0.25 %/year between 2019-2023) while it stabilises in men (+0.06 %/year). Two locations are concerning in women: the lung (+3.6 %/year) and the pancreas (+1.6 %/year). Mortality is generally decreasing, except for the pancreas and female lung (p. 11). These national estimates are modelled from local registers covering 20 to 24 % of the population (p. 4). The edition is marked by the creation of the national cancer register, planned by the law of 30 June 2025 (p. 8-9).

A quantified foundation for arguing, targeting and guiding

The document provides field actors with a homogeneous factual foundation: 2023 figures by location, four avoidable risk factors with their attributable fractions (tobacco 20 %, alcohol 8 %, overweight 5.4 % — 2015 data), participation rates in the three organised screenings, launch of the pilot lung programme IMPULSION, and cost and care data (1.4 million people treated in 2024). It serves as a reference for building an argument, prioritising an audience or framing a project. However, it contains neither tools, nor protocols, nor intervention methodologies: its value is informative and demonstrative, not operational.

2️⃣ KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT

1️⃣ Volume 2023: 433 136 new cases (57 % men, 43 % women) and 164,314 deaths. Median age at diagnosis: 68 years (women), 70 years (men) (p. 10-11).

2️⃣ Divergence women/men: the incidence standardised is increasing among women and stabilising among men; female lung cancer is rising sharply (+3.6 %/year), a sign of the generational shift of female smokers (p. 10-11).

3️⃣ National cancer registry: created by law no. 2025-596 of 30 June 2025, led by INCa, it aims for national coverage of cases (currently 20-24 %) via 9 matched and pseudonymised sources (p. 8-9).

4️⃣ Prevention: nearly half of cancers would be avoidable. Attributable fractions (data 2015): tobacco 20 % (68,000 cases), alcohol 8 % (28,000), overweight/diet 5.4 % (18,600). Daily smoking: 18 % of 18-75 year olds in 2024 (p. 14-15).

5️⃣ Screenings below targets: cervical 59.5 % (2020-2022), breast 46.3 % standardised and declining (2023-2024), colorectal 30.7 % (2024-2025), below the European threshold of 45 %. A lung pilot (IMPULSION) starts in 2025-2026 (p. 16-18).

Verification V4: the percentages of attributable fractions and the counting of avoidable cases are based on the 2015 study (ref. [8] of the document); they are not updated to 2023. To be cited as "2015 data ".

3️⃣ ACTIONS FOR LOCAL ACTORS

Formulation V4: the document not being a guide, these actions describe uses of the data, not tools it would provide.

1️⃣ Framing a local diagnosis: use 2023 figures by location (p. 10-13 and sheets p. 22-29) to objectively assess a territorial situation and prioritise the priorities of a project.

2️⃣ Targeting prevention messages: rely on the four avoidable factors and their associated locations (tobacco 17, overweight 14, alcohol 8) to build concrete hooks (p. 14-15), without overinterpreting the 2015 fractions.

3️⃣ Act on the non-use of screening: prioritise the groups identified as distant — for cervical cancer: women over 50, in socially disadvantaged situations, in long-term conditions, obesity or disability (p. 16); revive colorectal screening, below 45 % (p. 17).

4️⃣ Relay the new access modalities: inform about the colorectal kits provided in pharmacies and available online since 2022, and about the home delivery trial (p. 17) — a direct lever on accessibility.

5️⃣ Support IMPULSION (lung): in the 5 pilot regions (Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Pays de la Loire, PACA, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), guide smokers and ex-smokers aged 50-74 (≥ 20 pack-years) and couple information with smoking cessation (p. 18).

6️⃣ Integrate the inequality dimension: mobilise the data "cancers attributable to social disadvantage" (p. 22, 26, 27) to argue for social targeting — specifying that they date from 2012.

Unmet needs not covered by the document

• No tool, checklist or intervention protocol: operational appropriation needs to be built locally.

• No accessible version / Easy-to-read: a reformulation is necessary for low literacy audiences (see §6).

• Data at the sub-regional level absent: the figures are national, to be cross-referenced with regional data from the ARS or registers.

4️⃣ ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

1) Inter-ministerial roadmap "Organised screening for cancers 2024-2028" (DGS / ministry responsible for Health, 2024). Completes the screening section with operational measures ( outreach, reduction of inequalities, self-sampling).

https://sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/feuille_de_route_depistage_organise_des_cancers_2024_2028.pdf

2) INCa — "The fight against paediatric cancers. Issues, actions and perspectives" (September 2025). Deepens the data on children/adolescents/young adults mentioned p. 13 (ref. [7] of the Panorama).

https://www.cancer.fr/catalogue-des-publications

3) Eskandar K. "Advances in the prevention and early screening of cancer" (Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 2025; 35(4):580-589, French version). Review of recent literature on prevention and early detection.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12379937/

Source document (canonical URL): Panorama of cancers in France, edition 2026, INCa —

https://www.cancer.fr/catalogue-des-publications/panorama-des-cancers-en-france-edition-2026

5️⃣ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1️⃣ Why are the incidence figures from 2023 and not from 2026? Cancer develops over several years; a delay of a few years is necessary for reliable estimates. Data is therefore not published every year (p. 4).

2️⃣ Do the figures cover the entire population? No : the national incidence is modelled from registers covering 20 to 24% of the population. Coverage is comprehensive for childhood cancers and the 4 DROM (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Réunion) (p. 4, 8).

3️⃣ What is the national cancer registry (NCR)? A device created by the law of 30 June 2025, managed by INCa, which matches 9 sources of pseudonymised data to cover all cases and track patient pathways (p. 8-9).

4️⃣ What proportion of cancers is avoidable? Nearly half by limiting external factors. The main ones: tobacco (20% of cases, data 2015), alcohol (8%), overweight and diet (5.4%) (p. 14-15).

5️⃣ What is the participation rate in screenings? Cervical 59.5% (2020-2022, slightly up), breast 46.3% (standardised, down for 10 years), colorectal 30.7% (2024-2025, below the European threshold of 45%) (p. 16-17).

6️⃣ Who is involved in the pilot lung screening (IMPULSION)? Smokers and ex-smokers aged 50 to 74 (quit for less than 15 years, ≥ 20 pack-years), via a low-dose chest scan and support for quitting. 20,000 participants targeted over 18-24 months (p. 18).

7️⃣ Which cancers have a poor prognosis? Lung, pancreas, oesophagus, liver, central nervous system, acute myeloid leukaemias, ovary, stomach. The standardised net survival at 5 years (diagnoses 2010-2015) ranges from 11% (pancreas) to 26% (CNS) (p. 12).

6️⃣ REWRITING IN FALC (Easy To Read and Understand)

What is this document about?

• This document provides figures on cancers in France.

• It is produced by the National Cancer Institute (INCa).

• The figures are from the year 2023.

The important figures

• In 2023, 433,136 people learned they had cancer.

• The same year, 164,314 people died from cancer.

• Cancer is the leading cause of death among men.

• Among women, lung cancer is increasing significantly.

Many cancers can be avoided.

• Almost one in two cancers could be avoided.

• Tobacco causes the most cancers.

• Alcohol and being overweight also cause cancers.

• Moving, eating well and quitting smoking protect health.

Screening helps to find cancer early

• Screening looks for cancer before the first signs.

• Found early, cancer is often treated better.

• Many people still do not get screened.

• You can receive a test for colon cancer at the pharmacy.

7️⃣ CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS — HEALTH PRACTICE VALUES

Literacy : the document remains technical (standardised rates, VAM) and does not include an accessible version; a reformulation is necessary for low literacy audiences.

Empowerment : the beneficiaries are not involved; it is a descriptive publication, without a process involving the people concerned.

Participation : no co-construction mechanism is described; however, the document mentions ‘outreach’ actions for the lung pilot (p. 18).

Community health: the collective dimension appears through social and territorial inequalities, but remains at the level of observations, without a tool-based community approach.

Ethics : data protection (pseudonymisation, GDPR) is addressed for the RNC (p. 8-9); cultural biases are not discussed.

Human rights: equity of access to care is a stated objective of the ten-year strategy (p. 30), and equal access to approved treatments is highlighted (p. 19).

Intersectorality : the document is based on a partnership of data producers (Public Health France, FRANCIM, CépiDc, Hospices Civils de Lyon, League against cancer) (p. 13).

Partnership : the model is formalised around the national registry and the oncology data platform of INCa (p. 8-9).

Fight against discrimination: social inequalities in access to screening are named (vulnerable women, in ALD, with disabilities, p. 16); non-judgment and diversity are not explicitly addressed.

8️⃣ EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE RESOURCE

Scientific relevance — high, with vintage reservations

Reference institutional sources (INCa, FRANCIM registries, CépiDc, Public Health France) and scientific literature (Bull. Epidemiol. Hebd., Bull. Cancer, JAMA Oncol.). Methodology explained (reading keys, definitions, standardisation). Main reservation: the vintages are heterogeneous — 2023 incidence modelled, but prostate 2018, attributable fractions 2015, survival 2010-2015, prevalence 2017, cancers attributable to disadvantage 2012. Mortality from cervical cancer (755 deaths) is subject to an explicit methodological reservation in the document (non-reclassification of "uterus SAI" cases, p. 28).

Operational relevance — indirect

Resource for framing and argumentation directly usable (reliable figures, synthetic format). Low utility as an intervention tool: no check-list, protocol or action support. Ground appropriation assumes a translation work (plain language, local adaptation, choice of priority audiences).

9️⃣ STRATEGIC HASHTAGS

#CancerPrevention #OrganisedScreening #HealthInequalities #PublicHealth #HealthLiteracy #TobaccoAlcohol #HealthData #HealthPractices