According to a recent study based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) data, France ranked among the 10 countries with the highest cancer incidence in 2023 but remained among those with the lowest mortality rates.

The GBD, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation since 1993, provides a global assessment of cancer incidence, mortality, and associated risks.

Comparing these findings with other recent datasets is essential to understand how methodological choices influence the reported cancer burden and its outcomes.

Impact in 2023

• The supplementary data for the study reported an age-standardised incidence of 389.4 cancers per 100,000 population in France.
• Public Health France reported lower rates of 354.9 per 100,000 in men and 274 per 100,000 in women and estimated more than 433,000 new cancer cases each year.
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported an age-standardised incidence of 619 cancers per 100,000 individuals in France, based on more than 430,000 new cases each year. This rate exceeded the average across OECD member countries, a group of high-income nations that includes the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, and most of Western Europe, where the average is 571 per 100,000.

Mortality

The study reported a cancer mortality rate of 136.8 per 100,000 population in 2023. National Cancer Institute data showed just over 162,000 cancer deaths in 2021, corresponding to age-standardised mortality rates of 112 per 100,000 in men and 69 per 100,000 in women. Using the same death count, the OECD estimated an age-standardised mortality rate of 223 per 100,000 population, slightly below the European Union average of 235 per 100000 population.

Methodology Factors

Several factors help explain the differences across datasets:

• The reported figures are age-standardised rates, not unadjusted numbers of cases or deaths in the national population. Age standardisation uses the standard world population to allow consistent comparisons across countries, and the methods differ between data sources.
• The reliability of these rates depends on the volume and quality of the data available in each country and on how data sources are selected when several datasets exist. France does not maintain a centralised cancer registry; therefore, national estimates are derived from regional registries that cover slightly less than one quarter of the population.
• Cancer coverage varied across datasets. Epidemiologists may include different sets of cancers when modelling national trends; for example, Public Health France bases its estimates on 19 cancer types.

Shared Trends

Despite these differences, the studies reached similar conclusions:

• Cancer incidence and cancer-related deaths have risen worldwide for more than 35 years, mainly driven by population growth and ageing.
• Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global cause of death, whereas in France, cancer ranks first.
• Breast, prostate, respiratory tract, and colorectal cancers are the most common cancers in France and worldwide.
• More than 40% of all cancers are preventable. Major behavioural risks include tobacco use, alcohol consumption, diet, physical inactivity, and sexual behaviour, underscoring the importance of primary prevention.
• Occupational and environmental exposures have a limited overall impact but may be important in specific contexts. For instance, the increase in pancreatic cancer in France has been partly linked to cadmium contamination of soil and food.
• In France, the comparatively favourable mortality profile reflects the impact of early diagnosis, timely treatment, and a robust healthcare infrastructure.

The data for the study were provided by Connie Kim, senior communications manager at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

This story was translated from Univadis France.