Today, we are living through a decisive period in the fight against cancer. Thanks to advances in research and science, 66%* of cancers can be cured. Even if the number of cancers continues to rise, particularly in young adults, with more support and resources, this rate could reach 80% by 2040.
Publics Conseil and Institut Gustave Roussy, ranked number one in Europe and number four in the world in the fight against cancer, are using World Cancer Day to bring optimism to the fore, with the film, Lucie. It retraces the life of a young woman, from her birth, her joys, her encounters and her trials, in particular the illnesses she may have encountered during her life but which did not kill her thanks to advances in science and medicine, including the discovery of her rare cancer at the age of 36.
The film, directed by Jaco Van Dormael and produced by Hamlet, takes the gamble of using only scientific images to tell this story (scanners, MRIs, microscopes, 3D). The beauty of the images holds attention to the narration running under them. That narration has a poetic quality that intensifies its tribute to all the researchers, doctors and specialists who over the centuries have transformed what were once serious illnesses into benign ones, saving many lives in the process.
At the age of 36, Lucie developed a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. The sequencing of her tumour enables her to receive a personalised treatment that saves her life. This revolutionary method, democratised by Gustave Roussy, identifies mutations in cancer cells, enabling a precise diagnosis and more effective personalised treatment.
“In a world where cancer affects one person in two and more and more young adults, we want to show that the disease is a stage in life from which the majority of sufferers are now recovering, thanks to scientific progress. Lucie’s story is the story of thousands of patients. This film makes Gustave Roussy, its doctors, researchers and professionals part of the history of major scientific advances,” stated Professor Fabrice Barlesi, CEO of Gustave Roussy.
The hopeful campaign relaunches Gustave Roussy’s call for donations to boost cancer research. It will be broadcast on TV and digital.
The campaign was designed as a pro-bono campaign by Publicis Conseil, accompanied by Prodigious and Publicis Media. Hamlet donated generously to produce the film, and the advertising broadcasters, in particular TF1 Pub, FTP, M6 Pub, CBS, BFM RMC ADS, AMAURY, BEVIACOM and REGIS, contributed media. Cambridge University provided the images.
*Study Institut National du Cancer, April 2010.
