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French President Emmanuel Macron has set a target to reduce “preventable cancer deaths” by 50% over the next decade, announcing an increase in funding for cancer research and prevention on Thursday. World Cancer Day.
Macron announced a 20% increase in funding over the next five years to combat a disease that remains the leading cause of death among French men and second among women.
The French president has pledged to expand awareness campaigns, increase cancer screening and support patients dealing with the long-term effects of cancer treatment.
The goal, he said, is to “bring the annual number of preventable cancer deaths to 100,000, down from 150,000 today.”
Macron confirmed that tobacco is to blame for nearly half of that number, repealing new measures to ban smoking and also reduce alcohol consumption.
He said he wanted 20-year-olds to be “the first generation without tobacco in recent history”, calling for awareness campaigns to begin “from school age”.
His announcement comes amid deep concern that cancer patients are being left behind and governments are focused on fighting the pandemic of coronavirus, which has killed more than 77,000 people in France. only.
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