Six out of ten people diagnosed with cancer in the Girona regions manage to overcome the disease five years after diagnosis, according to the latest report from the Unitat d'Epidemiologia i Registre de Càncer de Girona. The improvement in survival has been constant from 2003 to 2017 and affects both men and women, although with differences in the types of tumors and recovery rates
Sustained increase in survival in Girona
Net survival at five years for patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2017 stands at 58.3% in men and 65.9% in women. The general average reaches 61.5%. In men, the cancers with the greatest advance in survival have been colorectal, with an increase of 12%, and those of the central nervous system, with 9.8%. In women, central nervous system tumors stand out, with an improvement of 14.2%, and urinary bladder tumors, with 12.7%
Among the ten most frequent cancers in men in Girona, those with the best prognosis are prostate cancer, with a survival rate of 94%, lymphomas with 71.8%, and bladder and urinary tract cancers with 71.7%. In women, breast cancer reaches 88.6% and melanoma 86.9%
Incidence and mortality in the province
In the province of Girona, an average of 4,119 cancer cases are diagnosed each year, of which 56.8% correspond to men. For this year, it is predicted that the figure will rise to 4,384 new cases. The most common tumors in men are prostate, lung, colorectal, urinary bladder, lymphomas, central nervous system, kidney, liver, stomach, and pancreas. In women, breast, colorectal, lung, central nervous system, uterine body, lymphomas, ovary and adnexa, urinary bladder, pancreas, and melanoma tumors predominate.
Age influences survival significantly. In those under 49 years old, the five-year survival rate is 81.3%. Between 50 and 64 years old it drops to 68.8%, between 65 and 79 years old it is 62.3% and in those over 80 years old it is reduced to 38.2%
It is estimated that 1,739 people will die from cancer in Girona this year. The annual average of deaths is 1,690, of which 60.2% are men. Between 2017 and 2021, the total number of deaths from cancer was 8,451. The average age at death is 73 years, with a slight difference between men (72 years) and women (74 years). Lung cancer is the one that causes the most deaths, with an average of 321 per year, followed by colorectal cancer with 220 and bladder and urinary tract cancer with 108. Lung cancer is also now the one that causes the most deaths among women in Girona
Global Data in Catalonia and Diagnostic Advances
In Catalonia, for 2025, the diagnosis of 43,633 new cases of malignant tumors is forecast, with 24,482 in men and 19,151 in women. During that same year, 17,696 deaths from cancer occurred, of which 10,259 were men and 7,437 women. The five-year relative survival from diagnosis is 54.2% in men and 66.2% in women. In most tumors diagnosed early, ten-year survival exceeds 80%
The most frequent tumors in Catalonia are prostate, colorectal, and lung in men, and breast, colorectal, and lung in women, accounting for nearly 60% of diagnosesThe Precision Oncology Program, launched in July 2021 by the Servei Català de la Salut, has performed more than 51,800 molecular determinations, including more than 20,300 studies on solid tumors. The Departament de Salut has consolidated liquid biopsy as a diagnostic test in certain cases of lung cancer within the public system. Since its implementation a year ago, nearly 200 patients have benefited from this technique in Catalonia
Liquid biopsy is used exclusively in adults with non-small cell lung cancer when a tumor tissue sample is not available and in situations with diagnostic or predictive indication for targeted therapies. A monitoring phase is currently being initiated to evaluate the real impact of this test in clinical practice and assess its possible expansion to other indications
Prevention and risk factors
A review led by the World Health Organization concludes that almost four out of ten new cancer cases in the world could be related to preventable risk factors, at least in part
- 61.5% of patients diagnosed in Girona survive cancer after five years
- Lung cancer causes the most deaths in the province
- In Catalonia, five-year survival is 54.2% for men and 66.2% for women
- Nearly 200 patients have benefited from liquid biopsy in the last year