OCCUPATIONAL CANCERS - STATE-OF-THE-ART, NOTIFICATION, COMPENSATION AND PREVENTION

Less than 140 occupational cancers (OC) are compensated every year in France although the incidence is estimated for at least 6000 new cases , as estimated by the epidemiologists (4% of the mortality by cancers) . This situation can be explained by different factors:few compensatio n claims by the patients or families, frequent lack of interest from m edical doctors for relation between cancer and work, occurence of the OC after retirement, difficulty to distinguish the role of occupationa l factors from individual comportmental factors in many OC (for ex. a lung cancer hitting a smoker). The consequences of such a situation ar e multiple: no compensation for more than 95% of patients or relatives , taking for granted that OC is a minor problem, insufficient preventi on of the carcinogenic factors on the work place, prevention of cancer s restricted to individual comportemental changes. Physicians working in cancerology units have to incite their patients in notificating the OC and help them in compensation claims. They have also to ask for ep idemiologic and toxicologic research when clusters of OC are identifie d in a plant, in order to get better prevention, compensation and regu lations.