The new cases of cancer do not stop growing. In 2012 they registered 8.103 in the province of Malaga and a decade later, in 2022, they are going for 9.842. Expressed in rates, in that year it was 494 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants and in the past year amounted to 573according to data from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). The trend is the same in Andalusia and Spain.
But in parallel to this sustained increase in tumor pathologies –which oncologists explain by the longer life expectancy, unhealthy habits, increased pollution and certain infectious diseases–, survival is also increased of patients compared to past decades. This is around 60% due to early detection and improvements in treatments that are increasingly personalized and effective.
According to the data of the Cancer Observatoryr of the AECC, in the province only in 2014 the same incidence rate of 2013 was repeated. In both years, this indicator of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants was 503. But, except for that exception, since 2012 each year exceeded the previous one . And the projection of the Association is that tumor pathologies continue to grow. Compared to the 9,842 new cases in 2022 at the provincial level, the Observatory forecast is 10,520 in 2025, 11,699 in 2030 and 13,549 in 2040.
The provincial technical director of the AECC and oncologist, Antonio Rueda, explains the reasons for the increase in incidence: “The fundamental reason is that we live more than 80 years on average.” But then add other causes, such as unhealthy lifestyles, including tobacco, sun abuse, sedentary lifestyle, obesity… In this sense, remember that a healthy life reduces around 40% the risk of cancer.
As other of the variables that may influence this increase in the incidence of tumor pathologies also includes environmental factors. “In the areas of industrial poles there is more lung cancer and lymphoma than in those geographical areas that live in the service sector,” he points out.
But Rueda values the advances in his specialty: “Incidence increasesbut also increases survival and lowers overall mortality. The incidence goes up, but the deaths go down.” In summary, he highlights that despite the increase in new cases, there are fewer deaths from cancer than before. The reason is this increase in survival, with patients who overcome the disease or become chronic and who have a better quality of life than a few decades ago.
According to the figures of the Statistics Institute of Andalusia (ACEI), tumors are the second cause of death in the province of Malaga after pathologies of the circulatory system. The latest data corresponding to the first quarter of 2022 show that oncological processes caused 909 deaths, compared to 1,187 caused by cardiovascular diseases.
Survival is not the same for all cancers. There are some more aggressive and with a worse prognosis and others in which it is close to 90%. But taking a very global average, oncologists estimate that about 60% of patients outgrow it.
Keys to survival
In this advance there are two keys: early diagnosis and improvement in treatment. Earlier diagnoses allow specialists to treat tumors at an earlier stage and, therefore, obtain better results. Rueda highlights among them, breast and colon cancer.
But the greater survival is also due to the improvement of treatments which are increasingly personalized. Several decades ago, they were practically the same for all patients. But oncological and genetic advances have made it possible to individualize treatments more and more. Even predicting when a drug will not work in a specific case to go to a plan b. This way no time is wasted and the patient is spared the toxicity of a drug that will not be effective for his specific tumor.
wheel throws a hopeful message and comments that patients with certain cancers who less than a decade ago had a life expectancy of 18 months, “today they live five years or more; and even, they are cured”.
According to data from the AECC Cancer Observatory, of the 9,842 new cases registered in the province of Malaga in 2022, 4,073 correspond to women and 5,770 to men. Said in rates, 465 per 100,000 inhabitants and 687 respectively. And why this lag according to which men suffer more oncological processes? “Because women have less toxic habits than men. Man leads a worse life”, summarizes Rueda. In summary that tobacco, alcohol and obesity take their toll. And these variables tend to occur proportionally more in men.
In addition, the oncologist adds another explanation: the woman has a “biological advantage” on the male because their genetic DNA repair mechanisms, in general, tend to be more efficient than the male ones.
