The 2018 edition of the congress of the American Society of Cancer and Oncology, ASCO 2018, opens its doors from Saturday for 5 days devoted to research and especially to advances in the disease, which fascinates as much as it terrorizes. . Our special correspondent, Dr Jean-François Lemoine presents this event to us.
Cancer remains the most important health challenge in the world. Certainly, today we are talking about a cure in certain cancers, which were once irremediably fatal – such as childhood blood cancers – but with the ever-increasing life expectancy, this disease of cell aging remains one of the main threats. which weighs on our health. With a strong idea: no longer to make cancer a particular disease, but rather an affection like any other.
Breast cancer, for example, has become a chronic disease. A woman diagnosed with this disease, in the vast majority of cases, will be cured or at least be in remission for many years. It is certainly possible that his disease recurs, but to be again controlled or defeated. This tendency to “trivialize” cancer can only be understood by “trivializing” treatments as well. Especially by making them less aggressive and minimizing side effects. Today it is a reality in the treatment of certain cancers, aided in this by the arrival of new treatments, such as oncoimmunology, which are much less aggressive while being more effective.
The double penalty
Suffering from cancer is also suffering from a double penalty: the view of society, in particular of certain employers or credit organizations on these patients, remains “doubtful”. It is one of the major roles of American patient societies, very powerful and involved in this congress, to ensure that a loan or a job no longer depends on a diagnosis. But it is also an awareness of doctors: we are expecting in the coming days many studies on the importance of well-being in the fight against this disease, of sexuality and – this is a very strong trend – the importance of physical exercise, during and after treatment. The results are indeed spectacular.
Cancer is prevented and detected
Physical exercise, of course, but also the fight against smoking (the million fewer smokers in France in 2017 were very noticed) and against obesity, which is a major public health problem, in particular in the United States. Breast and intestinal cancer screening campaigns are now well known and have had real success. Doctors are impatiently awaiting the “blood test” which will detect other cancers. She comes.
Why Doctor is mobilizing
40,000 oncologists from all over the world will therefore attend thousands of communications over 5 days at ASCO, the largest congress in the world, no doubt because of the major economic issues involved in the fight against this disease. New treatments are indeed legion, most often at prices that leave countries with faltering economies wondering. The share price of large pharmaceutical groups will soar or collapse at the rate of the good or bad results of the studies published this week in Chicago. Traders will be as vigilant as representatives of paying agencies …
Why Docteur will echo this very particular event by mobilizing a large part of its editorial staff in Chicago. To give you an account, all week long, of these main advances and the debates they generate.
Cancer in France. Most recent figures *
385,000 new cases in 2015
211,000 in men
- Prostate
- Lung
- Colon-rectum
174,000 In women
- Breast
- Colon-rectum
- Lung
A declining cancer death rate
Slightly more (1.5%) for men than for women (1%)
149,500 deaths in 2015
- 84,000 in men
- 65,000 in women
In 2008, 3 million French people alive had cancer
* Source INCA National Cancer Institute
.
