Health: Lung cancer is increasingly common in women

In the United States, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women. And this trend could follow in France, where the number of cases has been rising steadily for twenty years. While the French-speaking Pneumology Congress will be held from January 21 to 23 in Lille, scientists repeat that bronchial cancers are more and more frequent. In 2020, women accounted for 34% of lung cancer cases, compared to 16% twenty years ago. The cause of this increase? Tobacco and cannabis.

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Tobacco, big culprit

Smoking affects a growing number of increasingly young women. ” France Inter “ recalls that 41% of women with lung cancer are under 50 years old. “We had already seen an increase of 16 to 24% between 2000 and 2010. But there, it continues, the observation is confirmed and unfortunately beyond what we had planned”, laments doctor Didier Debieuvre, at the origin of the study. “This increase is clearly linked to the increase in smoking among women. We are now far from the image of lung cancer reserved for the worker who is a heavy smoker, ”he adds. In men, on the other hand, the number of cases is stagnating: “we have reached a kind of plateau”, explains the specialist.

Non-smokers concerned

Overall, smokers are the most affected: in 85% of cases, lung cancer is linked to tobacco consumption, notes a KPB study. On the other hand, those who have smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their life are now affected in 12.6% of cases, compared to 7.2% in 2000. Cannabis enthusiasts also see their risks increased: among people diagnosed, a third are regular smokers. If the screening of young people is less automatic, treatments against lung cancer are improving and could give hope for a drop in these worrying figures.

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