The National Cancer Institute (INCa) is launching a prevention campaign starting on April 1st. First introduced last September with the slogan “Make the right choices now, you will thank yourself later,” this year, it is enhanced with four messages specific to each risk factor and a new signature: “To avoid tomorrow’s cancers, we must act today.” The objectives are to make everyone aware that acting on these risk factors is possible and encourage individual behaviour change.

1. Say no to cigarettes.
   Tobacco consumption remains the leading cause of preventable mortality, with 75,000 deaths each year in France, of which 45,000 are due to cancer. It is the direct cause or a contributing factor for many cancers. It is responsible for more than 8 out of 10 lung cancers and 50% of bladder cancers.

There is no threshold below which smoking is risk-free. Premature avoidable mortality also affects light smokers.

**2. Limit alcoholic beverages
Alcohol is the second leading cause of preventable mortality in France after tobacco. Its consumption increases the risks of developing several cancers (liver, breast, larynx, pharynx…).

In 2015, alcohol was responsible for 7% of deaths among French people aged over 15 years. In 39% of cases, the cause of death was cancer.**

3. Eat a balanced and varied diet.
   There is a link between an unbalanced and non-varied diet and the increase in specific cancers. Avoiding ultra-processed, overly fatty, sweet and salty foods particularly limits the risks of being overweight and obese, which contributes to the development of certain cancers. On the contrary, varied and fibre-rich intakes help reduce risks.

For example, consuming red meat and charcuterie is a risk factor for colorectal cancer.

4. Exercise at all ages
   Practising regular physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day for adults and 1 hour for children is essential to overall health maintenance. It is mainly associated with decreased risk of colon and breast cancer.

A high sedentary lifestyle is responsible in France for about 3,000 new cancer cases each year.

The INCa’s prevention campaign is rolled out on the internet with the release of 4 videos for the 4 messages on each risk factor, on television with a 30-second spot and through posters that reveal new faces for this new edition.

**2. LIMIT ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
Alcohol represents the second preventable cause of cancer mortality, responsible for 28,000 new cases each year. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified it as carcinogenic to humans since 1988. The ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages is transformed in the body into compounds that promote the development of cancers. Breast, mouth, larynx, pharynx, oesophagus, liver, stomach, colon, and rectum: even at a low dose, alcohol increases the risk of developing 8 types of cancer.

The effect of consuming alcoholic beverages mainly depends on the amount of alcohol ingested, not on the type of drink (wine, beer, aperitifs). The risk of cancer increases with the total dose of alcohol consumed. People who consume alcohol are advised not to exceed 10 glasses per week, translated as: “For your health, maximum two glasses per day, and not every day”. These benchmarks offer lesser risk, not benchmarks below which the cancer risk is null.**

Find more from The French National Cancer Institute (France, April 2023)

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