For the first time in France, an exhibition is dedicated to cancer at the Cité des Sciences in Paris. But rest assured: far from being anxiety-provoking, this exhibition aims to lift the taboos on the disease and to approach cancers from all their facets, both scientific and social. Deeply human, the Cancers exhibition is also resolutely optimistic, educational and useful.
Cancer is a scary word and a disease that upsets the daily life of patients and their relatives. It is a subject that we don't like to talk about and that doesn't really make us want to go and see an exhibition...
Yet, this difficult subject touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of French people in one way or another. With 3.8 million French people who have had or are still living with cancer and 382,000 new cases each year, these multiple pathologies have an impact on the lives of patients and their loved ones, but also a global impact on society.
Thanks to the Cancers exhibition, the Cité des Sciences in Paris aims to break a few taboos and raise awareness of the disease in all its facets, with education, benevolence and without distressing visitors.
This is the first time in France that an exhibition of this scale is devoted to cancers. Of course, it is not easy to tackle such a sensitive subject, but the Cité des Sciences in Paris has chosen to treat this theme without watering it down and without offending the sensitivity of visitors.
Doctors, caregivers but also patients and companions are placed at the heart of this exhibition, which wants to put the human in the foreground rather than an often inaccessible medical science.
Numerous testimonies allow a better understanding of the disease and its effects. The issues of aesthetic changes, self-image and support from others are addressed with great accuracy and modesty.
Through a well-thought-out museography combining installations, videos and sound bites, visitors will learn surprising facts about cancers. For example, you will discover that cancers are biological processes embedded in the evolution of the living world. They appeared 500 million years ago at the same time as life on Earth and affect not only humans and animals but also plants.
Throughout this highly informative exhibition, you will learn more about cancers but also about treatments, the importance of prevention and screenings and the place of patients in the care pathway.
Contrary to popular belief, we are all concerned: the most common cancers in men are prostate, lung and colon, while in women it is Breast cancer followed by colon and lung.
The exhibition also highlights the advances in cancer research in recent years. Several exciting innovations in development are presented, such as the use of artificial intelligence to analyze scans and predict the progression of certain tumors or the use of sniffer dogs to detect breast cancer! Did you know that the dogs at the Institut Curie are able to detect Breast cancer simply by sniffing a wipe impregnated with sweat?
In recent years, new therapeutic options have emerged such as targeted therapies, immunotherapies, internal radiation therapies and vaccines. All of these discoveries and innovations offer hope for the future.
The Cancers exhibition is held from September 6, 2022 to August 8, 2023 at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris.
Address
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
30 avenue Corentin-Cariou
75019 PARIS
For more information on opening hours and fees, please visit the Cité des Sciences website (link below).
Author Audrey on 06 January 2023
Art and Culture : Collection
Author Audrey on 04 February 2022
Art and Culture : Museums