Lung cancer is increasing among women due to the increase in smoking among women in recent years, as Dr Xavier González explained, a lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UIC Barcelona. 

 

On the occasion of World Cancer Day, González explained that currently “there are more men than women with cancer”, although cases among males are dropping, mainly due to them “giving up smoking”, while cases among women are increasing.  

 

More than 270,000 people are suffering from cancer in Spain, 35,000 of them in Catalonia, and the rates of global recovery are around 60%.  However, according to Dr González, this percentage “is very different depending on the type of tumour. In the case of breast cancer, the five-year survival rate is between 85 and 90%”.  “In the near future the immense majority of cancers will be curable, although some of them are making things difficult and they may need more time than others” stated the lecturer. 

 

By tumour type, colon cancer is most frequent in Spain, followed by prostate, breast and lung cancers. The prevention and early detection of the disease continues to be the main way to reduce mortality, although experts also recommend avoiding tobacco, alcohol and obesity, doing sports, avoiding the consumption of processed meats, limiting red meat, and being vaccinated for human papilloma. 

 

Currently experts are focusing on immunotherapy, since it has begun to provide good results for some types of cancer, such as melanoma.  Dr González also stated that investment in research is essential to continue to progress towards curing this disease, although “we cannot simply rely on using resources, it is much more important to instead manage them well, and use them rationally and efficiently” he added.  “It is very important to invest resources where they can really make an impact, professionalise research and make it less precarious”.