Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
At 78, Olivier de Kersauson has come a long way. The navigator was indeed affected by lung cancer in 2018. On the occasion of the release of his book Veritas Tantam published by Cherche Midi, he looks back on what he went through.
Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018, Olivier de Kersauson admits that he did not collapse when the diagnosis was announced. “I was old, I had done everything interesting to do, it was not a tragedy if I disappeared” he confided on the set of Laurent Ruquier’s show on Paris Première last November.
He nevertheless faces the disease and does not keep good memories of it. “I saw people suffer and I found it very hard, very moving. The cancer wards are really hard. You’re dealing with people who have no defenses, who are vulnerable. You see young women with children, it’s horror. There are kids of 5 and 6 years old behind, she fights against something shitty, it’s touching”.
What is lung cancer?
Also called bronchial cancer, lung cancer affects the cells of the bronchi, or in rarer cases, the cells that line the air cells. The average age at diagnosis is 66 years old.
Lung cancer mainly affects men, but the incidence of lung cancer in women has tripled over the past 20 years. Mainly due to the increase in tobacco consumption among women. It is the 2nd most common cancer in men and the 3rd in women.
The different forms of lung cancer
There are two main categories of lung cancer.
- Small cell lung cancer
It accounts for about 15% of lung cancer cases, and it is the most difficult to treat. Rapidly evolving, its diagnosis is often made too late, once it has disseminated to other parts of the body (metastases).
- Non-small cell lung cancer
It is by far the most common as it accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer cases. It grows more slowly and is therefore more easily treated than the other form of lung cancer. There are 3 types: adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and undifferentiated large cell carcinomas.
Respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms
Lung cancer causes shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain but these signs are quite late. Other symptoms, such as a nighttime cough, difficulty swallowing, or voice change may occur. Non-respiratory signs, such as headaches, vomiting, fatigue and deterioration in general condition should also lead to consultation. The earlier the disease is discovered, the better the chances of recovery.
Prevention treatments and screening
The different types of lung cancer are generally treated in this way:
- For non-small cell lung cancers, the patient undergoes lung surgery to remove the tumor, combined with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is also a treatment option;
- Small cell lung cancers are treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with a good chance of survival if treated early.
Regarding the screening of the disease by low-dose scanner, the High Authority for Health (HAS) reviewed its position at the beginning of 2022. After having been opposed to it, it now recommends the implementation “real-life experiments” in order to “do not delay access to this screening modality“, in particular for the target population concerned.