The first National Lung Cancer Observatory was created with data from 34,000 Spanish patients.

The Spanish Lung Cancer Group (GECP), an independent research group made up of more than 650 specialists from all over the country, has created the first National Lung Cancer Observatory with the aim of advancing the treatment and survival of the tumor with the highest mortality and morbidity in the country.

Currently, the observatory has data on 34,000 Spanish patients from 90 hospital centres across the country included in the GECP Thoracic Tumour Registry, a figure that is growing periodically. The registry is the first national and unified database on this type of tumour and, unlike others, includes important information such as socio-demographic, clinical, molecular, genetic parameters and outcome variables of patients treated in Spanish hospitals.

Thus, thanks to the information provided by the registry data, the Observatory aims to become a platform for analysis, study, reflection and dissemination.To make decisions, we need real data. In Spain, there is still no single registry of cancer cases that includes relevant information and variables. With the creation of the Thoracic Tumor Registry, we have taken a step forward to obtain first-hand information on the tumor situation, and now, with the creation of the Observatory, we want to go further and involve society in this reality.“explains Dr. Mariano ProvencioPresident of GECP.

The research platform consists of a multidisciplinary scientific committee of oncologists, surgeons and researchers, as well as a board of trustees that periodically reviews the pathology situation.The goal is to have an interdisciplinary approach to the data that will allow us to detect any evolution over time.“explains Dr. ProvencioHead of the Oncology Department at the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Madrid.

Lung cancer is the most deadly tumor

Lung tumors are now the third leading cause of death in the country for both men and women (second leading cause of death in men after coronary heart disease) involved in rock climbing compared to previous exercises.

«It should be added that in terms of mortality, it already exceeds other tumors. In particular, in Spain, 22.7 thousand people died from this disease in 2023.⁽¹⁾with an increase in female mortality of 4.2%.“, tells in detail Dr. Bartomeu MassutiSecretary of the GECP and Head of the Oncology Department at the Dr. Balmis University Hospital in Alicante.

According to the Group’s experts, this pathology requires additional research and investment, as well as increased knowledge about the tumor to improve treatment strategies.Around 31,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in Spain each year, with women increasingly affected, now accounting for 1 in 4 patients.“, Add Massuti.

GECP X-ray: More women and younger patients

The observatory was presented today at the conference “Real Lung Cancer Data: Key to the Next Decade“, which outlines the main trends in the development of pathology. “According to the Observatory, although the profile of a lung cancer patient in Spain is male, a smoker, with an average age of 65, women already account for every fourth case (27%), with experts predicting an increase“, – he explained during his speech. Dr. Enric CarcereniCoordinator of the Thoracic Tumors Unit of ICO Badalona and Second Vice President of GECP.

For Carcereni«We have observed some alarming trends that we often see every day in consultations, such as the increase in incidence among women, a higher percentage of middle-aged patients and the year-on-year prevalence of smoking as the main toxin associated with this pathology.“.

And the age group from 60 to 70 years represents the highest percentage of patients included in the Registry – 36.1%.Although people aged 50 to 60 years already make up 30%. At the same time, about 13.3% of diagnoses already occur in people aged 40 to 50 years.“, tells in detail Dr. Carcereni. «We want to dispel the myth that lung cancer is a disease of older people. In consultations, we increasingly see diagnoses at younger ages, and registry data confirms this.‘, he explained.

The observatory’s X-rays also show that tobacco is the main cause of this type of tumor.” 40.5% of victims are regular smokers, and another 46.5% are former smokers. Only 11.5% of lung cancer patients included in the registry admit to never having smoked.

A report presented at the conference showed that non-small cell lung cancer (83.2%) was the most common type of lung cancer, followed by small cell lung cancer (14.2%). In 54.6% of patients, the disease was in an advanced stage at diagnosis. Cough, pain, shortness of breath and sometimes weight loss were the main symptoms at diagnosis. However, it should be noted that 30% of patients in advanced stages and almost 60% in early stages had no symptoms at diagnosis, highlighting the difficulty in diagnosing this tumor.

Implementation of molecular determinations in Spain

The conference also featured data from the Observatory on the implementation of molecular definitions for more accurate diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, using data from the Atlas project, a substudy of the Thoracic Tumor Registry, as a platform for NGS (next-generation sequencing) analysis of lung cancer biomarkers. As explained Dr. Mariano ProvencioPresident of GECP, “Compared to other countries, Spain has a global positivity rate similar to the 42% observed in neighboring European countries. Likewise, the detection of at least one biomarker is similar to the experience of Germany and real data from the United States.” he explained in detail.

For Provencio«Spanish hospitals have adopted and carried out an adequate level of molecular testing, comparable to other European countries and higher than in the United States. This demonstrates the strength of our national health system with universal coverage and physician participation, despite the lack of guidelines or public organization for these diagnostic aspects.” In this sense, 62.5% of the patients analyzed had mutations of one type or another that allow them to personalize treatment.

Keys to the Next Decade

Based on the data obtained in the Observatory and with the aim of sharing information on synergies and future challenges in this tumor, GECP organized a conference “Real Lung Cancer Data: Key to the Next Decade“, which took place in the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. In addition to a general radiological overview of the lung cancer situation in Spain, the conference discussed changes in the treatment of the pathology, as well as the level of implementation of precision medicine in the treatment of lung cancer.

The day concluded with a round table discussion on the challenges and opportunities of pathology in the next decade, moderated by Doctors Bartomeu MassutiSecretary of GECP and Carlos CampsVice President of GECP, in which they participated Cesar Hernandez GarciaDirector General of the General Portfolio of Social Services and Pharmacy of the Ministry of Health, Ramon ReyesPresident of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), Arantxa SanchoDirector of the Department of Medical and Scientific Activities of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Javier de Castro CarpenoVice President of SEOM and Mariano ProvencioPresident of GECP.

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⁽¹⁾ INE, Mortality by most common cause of death – 2023