Epidemiological Surveillance of Cancers

Health monitoring of the French population is the responsibility of Santé publique France. It is within this framework that epidemiological surveillance of cancers is conducted. This surveillance:

• supports the implementation and evaluation of public health initiatives, whether they relate to prevention, regulation, or cancer care;

• is carried out by a network of partners coordinated by Santé publique France and relies in particular on cancer registries.

The partners in this program are:

• The French Network of Cancer Registries (Francim)

• The Biostatistics Department of the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL)

• The National Cancer Institute (INCa)

• Public Health France (SpF)

This program, funded by Santé publique France and INCa, also relies on close collaboration with the Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (CépiDc-Inserm)

The Cancer Barometer

The Cancer Barometer is a telephone survey of the general population conducted every five years to better understand the public’s attitudes and behaviors regarding cancer risk factors—particularly UV exposure—as well as prevention and screening methods, and perceptions of the disease and the quality of care.

Its results are used to implement initiatives to combat cancer and improve patient care. Because it is conducted regularly using the same methodology and similar questionnaires, the Cancer Barometer survey also tracks changes in key behaviors and attitudes related to cancer.
The results of the Cancer Barometer are released by topic as they become available and posted online on the websites of Santé publique France and INCa. One of the topics concerns exposure to ultraviolet radiation (sun and tanning beds).

Health Barometers: A Study of French People’s Behaviors to Guide Public Health Policy

Preventing health risks associated with exposure to natural ultraviolet radiation

Raising public awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet radiation

To raise public awareness of the dangers of UV exposure, the National Cancer Institute (INCA) regularly launches campaigns promoting the following precautions:

• always seek shade

• avoid exposure between noon and 4 p.m. in mainland France and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the French overseas departments and regions

• wear protective clothing, preferably UV-protective, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with UV filters (category 3 or 4)

• in addition to the above protective measures, apply SPF 50 sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection to exposed areas of the body every 2 hours.

For more information: UV Exposure - Reducing Cancer Risks | INCA

For young children, particularly those under 3 years of age, the “1,000 First Days” website, developed by Santé publique France, provides guidance on how to protect them from ultraviolet radiation by minimizing their sun exposure as much as possible.

Identification and evaluation of evidence-based or promising interventions in prevention and health promotion

Two prevention interventions, targeting different audiences, were the subject of a conclusive evaluation:

• Intervention targeting children in school settings

The “Living with the Sun” intervention, created by the Sécurité Solaire association, has been identified as effective in Santé publique France’s registry of effective or promising interventions: it aims to improve children’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding sun exposure. It provides resources (teacher’s guide, website, training, and surveys) to empower teachers to organize science workshops at school (elementary, middle, and high school) centered on three themes: the sun’s effects on health, solar ultraviolet radiation, and protection methods.

• Initiative targeting summer tourists

The Prisme project (Prevention and Impact of Sun Exposure in the Mediterranean), launched in 2019, focuses on summer sun exposure among tourists along the Mediterranean coast of Occitanie. It comprises two components:

• A “prevention” component, whose objectives—based on a study conducted among tourists on the Occitanie coast—are:

  • to analyze their behaviors and identify the determinants—particularly social ones—of sun protection and sun exposure during French tourists’ summer vacations on the Mediterranean coast of Occitanie;

  • to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two interventions developed with the Montpellier Epidaure Cancer Institute: one highlighting the sun’s effect on physical appearance (photoaging) and the other on health risks.

• An “impact” component aimed at studying the short-term impact of summer sun exposure on the use of burn/sunburn treatments at coastal pharmacies.