Pascal Bataille Sounds the Alarm on Lung Cancer Diagnostic Delays
Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer in France, a grim statistic largely attributed to late diagnoses – with 70 to 80% of cases identified at an advanced stage, considerably reducing treatment success. While lung cancer (along with colorectal cancer) is the most common cancer in men, according to Public Health France, it also heavily impacts women, ranking as the second most prevalent cancer after breast cancer.
Pascal Bataille, a lung cancer patient, is advocating for change, highlighting the often lengthy and frustrating journey many face before receiving a diagnosis. “I am in great shape, and I benefited, once diagnosed, from care, new effective protocols and a team of caregivers exemplary of skills and humanity,“ Bataille shared. “However,it took a 9-month diagnosis on my lung cancer,which obviously allowed the tumor to progress and forced me to undergo a treatment of chemotherapy and immunotherapy… Being avoided if a scanner had been prescribed much earlier.“
This experience underscores the “diagnostic wandering” endured by to many patients. The difficulty lies in the often discreet and non-specific symptoms associated with lung cancer. Common respiratory signs like a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and repeated pulmonary infections can easily be mistaken for other, less serious conditions.
Other potential indicators – swelling of the face and neck, significant pain (in the side, arm, or shoulder), voice changes, difficulty swallowing, or blood in sputum – are also not definitive.
Bataille believes a targeted screening program, particularly for those at risk (with tobacco use accounting for 80% of lung cancers), coudl dramatically improve outcomes. “Supporting and informing about lung cancer screening is therefore obvious to me. I am convinced that this will not only save lives, but also to avoid many patients very heavy treatments for them and expensive for the community,” he stated, supporting the work of the collective Together We lose to advocate for “targeted automatic screening.”
Fortunately, a pilot program, Impulses, launched by the National cancer Institute in January of this year, aims to address this need. The program will target approximately 3.8 million smokers and former smokers aged 50 to 74, offering a low-dose chest scanner alongside smoking cessation support.
Professor Sébastien Couraud, head of pneumology at Lyon Sud – Civil Hospital Hospital in Lyon and a member of the Collective Ensemble We lose, anticipates a positive impact. “Lung cancer screening represents an advance to offer everyone a real chance in the face of the disease. It is an possibility to reduce diagnostic wandering and management deadlines.“
