NEW cases of cancer in Spain are predicted to go above 300,000 for the first time in a calendar year, according to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).
The report ‘Cancer Figures in Spain 2026’ was published in association with the Spanish Network of Cancer Registries.
Around 8,000 cases in 2026 will be diagnosed in younger adults between 20 and 39 years of age, especially breast and thyroid cancers.
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It’s projected that the most diagnosed tumours in Spain in 2026 will be colorectal cancer, with 44,132 new cases, followed by breast cancer, with 38,318, lung with 34,908, prostate with 34,833, and urinary bladder, with 23,929 expected diagnoses.
In a second group, with significantly lower figures, are non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (12,201), pancreatic cancer (10,405), kidney cancer (9,165), cutaneous malignant melanoma (8,074), oral cavity and pharyngeal tumours (8,203), as well as cancers of the uterine body (7,759), stomach (7,595) and liver (6,852).
By sex, in men, as in 2025, the majority will be prostate (34,833), colon and rectum (26,477), lung (23,079) and urinary bladder (19,496).
And, in women, the main cancers will be breast cancer (38,318) and colon and rectal cancer (17,655).
Despite a rise in cases, which is due to factors such as an ageing population, increasingly early detection or avoidable risk factors related to inadequate lifestyle habits, the SEOM study also notes an increase in survival rates which have doubled in the last 40 years.
SEOM president, Dr. Javier de Castro, said: “The advances made mean that the limited prognosis that most cancer patients had five decades ago has been reversed and that they now have a longer survival and a higher quality of life.”
“The goal today is not just to live longer, but better, with less toxicity, more attention to long-term effects, and more support for survivors,” he continued.
“Prevention, early diagnosis and research continue to be key to reducing cancer mortality.”
Tobacco, alcohol, and obesity continue to be some of the most important preventable risk factors related to cancer.
According to data published by the World Health Organisation, around a third of cancer deaths are due to tobacco, infections, excess alcohol consumption, a sedentary lifestyle and inadequate diets.
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