KBP study: good news on lung cancer
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in France and the 3rd most frequent, with a male/female ratio of 2.2 in 2018 (compared to 9.6 in 1990), because of a greater consumption of tobacco among women between these two dates. Similarly, while incidence seems rather stagnant in men since the 1990s, it is increasing in women. There are two types of lung cancer: non-small cell (85% of cases) and small cell (15%).
KBP is a prospective, nationwide, multicenter, observational cohort study conducted by the College of General Hospital Pulmonologists in France. Its objective was to assess mortality at 1 and 5 years post-diagnosis in new cases diagnosed in 2020, and to compare these results with those of the 2000 and 2010 studies. Preliminarily reported data appear to show that 1-year survival of lung cancer patients is improving (from 40% to 55% between 2000 and 2020), and that the incidence has halved in 20 years for patients younger than 50 years.
This progress is mainly attributed to access to and effectiveness of treatments. However, a large proportion of diagnoses are still made at late stages, highlighting the importance of screening. Finally, let us not forget that the fight against smoking must remain a priority in the battle against lung cancer.