Jérôme Salomon, Chief Medical and Science Officer at Zoī, shared on LinkedIn:
“Cancers: what the science shows us to protect yourself, better detect and follow good medical practices
Cancer remains the 1st health concern in France! The incidence of cancer is impressive: nearly 450,000 new cases per year. The National Cancer Institute lists 164,000 deaths per year. Mortality is declining each year thanks to clinical, biological and imaging screening efforts.
A solid scientific basis already exists to act. Here’s what is validated:
Primary prevention, the most powerful and lever. A significant proportion of cancers (nearly 50%) are preventable by acting on known risk factors:
- tobacco (1st preventable factor), there are many ways to help you quit smoking
- alcohol, to be consumed in moderation
- unbalanced diet, especially ultra-processed foods,
- excessive sedentary lifestyle, let’s move every day
- overweight, let’s get back to a healthy weight
- sun exposure without effective protection, let’s follow the precautionary advice
It is the lever with the highest demonstrated impact, even before screening
These are good, health-promoting behaviours to be adopted as early as possible
The 3 screening organized by the State and the Health Insurance, free, and underused in our country because they are probably insufficiently accessible in the country and poorly understood:
- Breast (mammography, 50-74 years, every 2 years): 60% participation, against a European target of 75%
- Cervix (Pap smear then HPV test, 25-65 years old): 61% participation, against a target of 80%
- Colorectal (immunological test, 50-74 years old, every 2 years): only 34% participation, against a target of 65%
The most underestimated scientific message: these screenings exist, are free, and remain too little followed. The best screening is the one we do, with the explanations of santé professionals and understanding the issues!
Let’s encourage all screenings!
A validated novelty: lung cancer screening
Since 2025, France has been rolling out the IMPULSION pilot program: low-dose chest scanner for smokers and ex-smokers aged 50 to 74, with at least 20 pack-years of tabagisme
The objective: to reduce mortality by 20 to 39% in this high-risk population
What is not yet recommended but is being evaluated
Multi-cancer blood tests are attracting a lot of interest, but have not yet been validated by the health authorities for screening in the general population. Scientific rigour requires waiting for evidence before replacing existing organized screenings. There is always a need for more research and publications on this major subject.
Talk about your personal risk (age, family history, lifestyle, exposures, etc.) with your doctor, who will adapt the right screening at the right time.”
