According to the Inca, 30% of cancers could be prevented with better primary prevention and screening effective. In 2008, 12.4 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million deaths occurred in the world. Forecasts for 2050 suggest a figure of 25 million new patients. 30% of cancers could be prevented. “In reality, said Dr. Christopher Wild, Director General of International Center for Research on Cancer, 80, or 90% of cancers are related to lifestyle, and therefore could be avoided.” These figures are enough to understand the urgency to act early on primary prevention to reduce certain risk factors, and with secondary screening effective.

Targeted actions
Management planning risk is especially vital to combat occupational cancers, potentially preventable. We must therefore put in place targeted measures to employees of companies at risk. The European REACH regulation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals, is already in this direction.


Similarly, according to Professor Gerard Lasfargues, Scientific Director General of the French Agency for the safety of the environment and labor, “the French regulations on carcinogens is not badly done, since there obligation for the employer, resources and results against even a suspected risk. It must date examples of companies that engage in substitution of these carcinogens. ”
The strategy of biomonitoring is to improve: “When we discover environmental contamination,” said Dr. Francoise Weber, executive director of the Institute for Public Health, one needs to know its consequences on the population, but lack of reference.



For example, in the case of contamination of rivers by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), it is not known to the PCB levels in relation to the development of certain cancers. Should be able to tell the patient: “You are more or less infected, you are more at risk, not just” You have a rate as PCBs.

An epidemiological surveillance
In parallel with the risk management planning, emphasis should be placed on the epidemiological surveillance of cancer: induction by knowing their type, their growth, and assess the portion attributable risk factors (environment, genetics …). Tools such as the cancer registry, collecting continuous data by region, funded by InVS and the InCa can help. But this register, heavy, expensive and unresponsive, covers only 18% of the population. Having used other tools necessary: the system multisource automated monitoring of cancers as well as data-cytho anatomo-pathologists.
The development of monitoring and risk prevention requires a large budget. Wild recalls Christopher and Charles de Gaulle wanted 0.5% of the defense budget of every rich country is attributed to the research against cancer. Currently, this figure is less than 0.001%. It is far from satisfactory.