The National Cancer Institute (INCa), in association with Santé Publique France, presented the results of its 2021 Cancer Barometer on Monday.

The survey relayed by franceinfo focuses every five years on the beliefs and knowledge of the French around this family of diseases.

Seven out of ten respondents believe that they have solid information on the subject.

many beliefs

However, several survey results tend to show the opposite.

23% of respondents believe, for example, that drinking a little wine reduces the risk of cancer.

Similarly, only 20% of smokers consider that there is a risk of tobacco-related cancer beyond 20 cigarettes a day.

In France, tobacco and alcohol are actually the two leading causes of cancer, which is itself the leading factor in premature mortality in the country.


The @Institut_cancer publishes in partnership with @SantePubliqueFr the 4th #CancerBarometer on the occasion of the #JournéeMondialeContreleCancer.

Realized every 5 years, this Barometer makes it possible to understand the attitudes and behavior of the French towards cancerhttps://t.co/jrpiS2IGMr pic.twitter.com/0OnPL1raaM

– National Cancer Institute (@Institut_cancer) January 30, 2023

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Regarding skin cancers, many respondents also minimize the preponderant role of excessive exposure to the sun or artificial UV rays on the increased risk.

Conversely, many respondents overestimated the importance of heredity in the risk of developing cancer, while only 10% of cases have a genetic origin.

Improving prevention

In the eyes of Suzette Delaloge, oncologist and director of the personalized cancer prevention program at the Gustave Roussy Institute, these results are primarily explained by the dissemination of numerous “contradictory messages”.

Alcohol in small quantities, for example, is sometimes presented as beneficial for health, in particular for cardiovascular risks.

For Norbert Ifrah, president of the National Cancer Institute, these results also reflect a "need to be secure" and to be "reassured".



In order to improve the information of the French on cancer, Suzette Delaloge proposed to “create new health professionals more dedicated to the prevention of cancers or other diseases”.

As a reminder, almost half of cancers are preventable because they are linked to lifestyles.

In terms of prevention, information about the risks associated with certain foods is already on the rise.


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