In 2024, the number of cancer diagnoses in Spain will increase by 2.6%.

In Spain, 286,664 cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year.. This implies 2.6 percent increase in annual diagnoses compared to 2023 data. This is reflected in the document “Cancer numbers 2024” prepared by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) in collaboration with the Spanish Network of Cancer Registries (REDECAN).

This report provides data for various tumor types. Thus, the report shows that The most diagnosed neoplasms in 2024 will be, as already happened in 2023, colorectal, breast, lung, prostate and bladder cancer.. Depending on gender, the largest number of diagnoses in men will be prostate, colorectal, lung, and lung, and in women, breast, colorectal, and lung. In this sense, Cesar Rodriguez, President of SEOMemphasized during the press conference dedicated to the presentation of this document that, although Ten years ago, lung cancer was not even among the top ten most diagnosed cancers in women, “in 2024 it will be in third place.”registering an increasing trend, while for men the numbers are decreasing as a result of a reduction in smoking.

Increased incidence

Among the identified reasons explaining this increase in cancer incidence are: population growth, aging society and exposure to risk factors

. This year, SEOM is paying particular attention to this last point, given that eliminating it could prevent the development of one in three cases of cancer; The organization points out five factors to avoid: smoking, drinking alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and certain infectious agents.

SEOM advocates avoiding risk factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and exposure to infectious diseases, as they are responsible for a third of cancer cases.

“A very significant number of cancer cases will be diagnosed this year, 7,500 more than last year.» exposed Jaume Galceran, President of REDECAN. In addition, Galseran put age-related cancer data into perspective, pointing out that “five percent occur in people under 45 years of age, 30 percent occur in people between 45 and 65 years of age, and 65 percent occur in people over 65 years of age.” “Childhood cancer represents 0.05 percent of cases, meaning one out of every 200 cases affects the pediatric population,” he explained.

“The best way to reduce the number of cases is to prevent new cases from occurring whenever possible,” Rodriguez stressed, calling for initiatives that help instill habits that reduce or eliminate habits that influence the development of cancer.

Survival and mortality

Another issue that was addressed during the presentation of the report is related to tumor survival and mortality. Galseran clarified that “ Cancer survival rate for men is about 55 percent, and for women it is almost 62 percent.” In men, the highest survival rates are observed in prostate, testicular, and thyroid tumors, while in women, the highest survival rates are observed in thyroid, cutaneous melanoma, and breast.”

On the other hand, the deadliest tumors in men are tumors lungs, colon and prostate; These three factors account for 29 percent of the country’s annual deaths, more than cardiovascular disease.

, which is associated with 24.4 percent of deaths among men. In women, the leading cause of death continues to be cardiovascular disease, accounting for 27.9 percent of cases, followed by tumors of the breast, lungs and colon, causing 20.4 percent of deaths in 2022 among women.

Rodriguez put the information on the table: “ The goal by 2030 is to achieve 70 percent cancer survival rate.” In this regard, Galceran believes that “although achieving this figure is almost utopian, it is necessary to set ambitious goals in order to move forward.” And while advances in diagnosis and treatment have significantly improved the incidence of many cancers, Galseran noted that “in general, progress tends to be slower, and even more so when you consider that cancer is not a disease, but there is there are many different diseases that affect the life of the cell and its reproduction, which is very complex.”

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