On the occasion of World Cancer Day, on February 4, the Canary Islands Comprehensive Oncology Center of San Roque University Hospitals presents its estimate of cancer cases in the Canary Islands for 2025 and the campaign "United for the Unique", an initiative that seeks to raise awareness about prevention and the importance of early diagnosis
The Spanish Cancer Registry Network (REDECAN) estimates that 296.103 cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Spain during 2025. According to these data, we can infer that in the Canary Islands, around 2025 cases of cancer could be diagnosed in 13,200, the most frequent being colon and rectum (1961 new cases), breast (1658), lung (1518), prostate (1416) and urinary bladder (987). By sex, in men, the majority will have prostate, colorectal, lung and urinary bladder tumors. In women, the most frequent tumors would be breast, colorectal and lung.
In the Canary Islands, tobacco, alcohol and obesity continue to be some of the most important and avoidable risk factors related to cancer. In fact, around 1/3 of cancer deaths are due to tobacco, infections, alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle and inadequate diets with insufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. Given this scenario of an ever-increasing risk of suffering from cancer, which will affect one in two men and one in three women in the Canary Islands during their lifetime, important measures must be taken for prevention, early diagnosis, personalized treatments and support for the patient and their family.
Cancer prevention is about an individual decision to develop healthy lifestyle habits, eliminating smoking, reducing alcohol consumption and opting for a balanced diet and physical exercise to eliminate obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Physical exercise reduces the risk of cancer by up to 30%. But also the prevention of viral infections such as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) or Hepatitis B, significantly reduces common tumors such as cervical tumors, oral cavity or hepatocarcinoma among others.
The Canary Islands have programmes for early diagnosis of cervical, breast and colon cancer. It is very important that our society understands the need to participate in these programmes, especially with the aim of detecting the disease early, increasing the chances of a cure, but also reducing the need for mutilating surgical treatments or aggressive oncological treatments.
The personalization of cancer treatment is one of the reasons for this year's motto "United by the unique." Indeed, greater knowledge of cancer biology has allowed the development of Precision Oncology, which allows us to identify biomarkers in many of these cancer cases and select the most effective and safe treatments for each patient. It is important to explain that cases of breast, lung, colon cancer, etc., are very different from patient to patient, they have different behavior and require different treatments.
This Precision Oncology has allowed the development of therapies targeting certain genes, the development of immunotherapy or reducing the use of classic chemotherapy and mutilating surgical treatments. However, while cancer is unique, so is the patient.
Therefore, the second aspect of this motto “United by the only thing” is the need for healthcare to be focused on the patient and his/her environment. The individualization of cancer should not hide the individualization of the patient. Each patient is unique, with unique needs, attitudes and preferences. The patient and his/her environment must feel accompanied and understood throughout the therapeutic journey. Support during treatment and follow-up must be comprehensive, including psychological, nutritional, aesthetic support and the minimization of side effects of treatments. Each patient is unique, in their tolerance to treatments and in the decisions they make in this regard. For this, adequate and complete explanations are necessary, as well as a clear understanding of the benefits and risks and absolute respect for the decision of the patient and his/her environment.
The patient is the protagonist of oncological care and, together with those around him, he must form part of the team that aims not only to cure him, but also to care for him throughout his entire process. There cannot be a team without trust and knowledge. Therefore, the medical team must always be available to clarify doubts, explain symptoms or accompany him through difficulties. When a patient chooses a group of professionals to treat his illness, these professionals must understand that we are not treating cancer, but rather “a unique cancer in a unique patient.”
“Personalized medicine includes the disease and the patient. They cannot be separated from each other, nor can a therapeutic itinerary be offered without the commitment and participation of the patient and his or her environment. We must all be “United by what is Unique” comments Dr. Pedro C. Lara - Head of Service at the Canary Islands Comprehensive Oncology Center of San Roque University Hospitals.”
