CANCER diagnoses among people under 50 have been increasing across Spain, prompting researchers to warn that the trend is turning into a major medical challenge.  

Leading Spanish cancer researcher, Dr. Javier Pascual, has claimed that one of the biggest issues in the realm of modern oncology is the growing number of cancer diagnoses in people under 50.

Malaga’s Foundation Centre for Cancer Research and Advanced Therapies (CITAC) has found that the rise in cases of early-onset cancers in Spain is mirroring patterns first seen in the United States.

“We are clearly following the same path,” Pascual warned, pointing to significant increases in breast, colon, rectal and other digestive cancers among younger adults.

READ MORE: Driver arrested after alleged hit-and-run kills motorcyclist, 31, in Marbella

While the exact cause remains unclear, Pascual says changes in lifestyle over the past 25 to 30 years, particularly diet, are likely explanations.

However, further research is needed to fully understand the link.

Pascaul has said long-term data collected in Malaga over the past two decades shows the incidence of these cancers is accelerating by each year.

The researcher underlined the need for both better prevention and more effective treatments for younger pateints, who often have tumors that are more aggressive.

READ MORE: Spain’s golden era reaches new heights with World Cup win – here are all the records La Roja has broken

He also highlighted advances in early detection like liquid biopsy technology, that could identify cancers before symptoms appear and improve survival rates over the next decade by allowing treatmement to begin earlier.

One of the most significant statements Pascual made was saying that cancer could become a disease that people can live with ‘indefinitely.’

“I think the perspective has changed,” Pascual said. “We’re seeing that cancer survival rates are gradually improving.”

READ MORE: More than 1,000 evacuated near Madrid as year’s largest wildfire tears through 26,000 hectares

The researcher called Spain’s cancer patient care as ‘generally quite refined,’ in that the country has the most innovative therapies on par with the US.

Dr. Pascual expects that around 11,000 people in Malaga will be diagnosed with cancer this year, based on statistics fom the Andalucian Society of Medical Oncology (SAOM).

The CITAC institution aims to align with the EU objective of achieving a 70% cancer survival rate by 2030.

Click here to read more News from The Olive Press.