Lung cancer: survival improves in France

Good news on the lung cancer front: two-year mortality has decreased in France, from 79% in 2000 to 74% in 2010, then to 52% in 2020, as indicated by the not-yet-consolidated KBP-2020 results. -CPHG study, presented Sunday January 29 at the French-language Pneumology Congress in Marseille. One-year survival increased from 40% in 2000 to 55% in 2020.

This paper from the College of General Hospital Pulmonologists (CPHG) looks at almost 9,000 new cases of primary bronchial cancer (lung cancer), across all types of cancer. and at all stages, by 82 centers listed in 2020. The aim is to describe lung cancer and compare them with the 2010 and 2000 cohorts.

“This confirms the clinical impression that we have had improved management because of the evolution of therapy, particularly immunotherapy, a major advance in the management of broncho-lung cancer.”Hugh Morrell, a pulmonologist at Orleans Regional Hospital and president of CPHG, explained at the press conference. “This improvement is seen regardless of cancer stage at diagnosis, even if it is greater for non-metastatic stages.”says Didier Debievre, head of the pulmonology department at the hospital group Mulhouse Sud-Alsace region, which is coordinating the KBP study. “Median survival [période au bout de laquelle 50 % des patients sont vivants] All stages and all types doubled from 8.8 months in 2000 to 9.7 months in 2010 and 17.1 months in 2020.continues the specialist.

“This study is very interesting because it deals with patients from general hospitals and not from specialized centers, it’s a big job.says Charles-Hugo Marquette, head of the pneumology department at Nice University Hospital, who was not involved in the study. I have been training for thirty four years and it has only gotten better in the last fifteen years. Earlier changes were more marginal. »

Targeted treatment and immunotherapy

The news is welcome because this cancer, which is largely linked to smoking, affects 46,300 new people each year (31,200 men and 15,100 women). It remains the leading cause of cancer death in France, with 33,000 deaths each year.

“This progress is due to better access to treatment and better efficacy of targeted treatments and immunotherapies”Didier Debevre emphasizes. “They mainly address metastatic cancers, but also locally advanced stages for immunotherapy. A benefit in localized stages has already been demonstrated for anti-EGFR targeted therapies [récepteurs du facteur de croissance épidermique] After surgery and for pre- and post-operative immunotherapy », developed by a specialist. In localized forms, surgery remains the reference treatment to remove the tumor.