Malaga province would have 3,000 fewer cancer diagnoses each year if people didn't smoke
Tobacco is responsible for more than 16 types of tumours, including lung, bladder and almost all head and neck tumours, according to the experts
Tobacco is the product that causes the most tumours and kills half of those who consume it. Smoking is responsible for 16 types of cancer. According to data from the Spanish association against cancer (AECC), 30% of cancer cases could be eliminated if people didn't smoke.
A total of 10,044 cancers were diagnosed in Malaga province in 2024, according to the AECC. More than 3,000 could have been avoided without tobacco. Scientific coordinator of the Ministry of Health's cancer strategy Professor Josep M. Borràs confirmed that the disease could be prevented by avoiding smoking. "Not smoking. If you smoke, stop smoking at any time in your life and if you don't smoke, don't start smoking at any time in your life. That is the most important thing. With this, we would simply reduce cancer mortality in our country by 20%," he said.
Sixteen types of cancer
Smoking is mainly behind lung, bladder and almost all cancers related to the head and neck, especially if alcohol is also consumed, although there are other causes such as the human papilloma virus or poor oral hygiene, as well as a lack of physical activity and a generally unhealthy lifestyle.
54.56%
of young people between the ages of 14 and 18 have tried e-cigarettes
Medical oncologist Dr José Carlos Benítez is a leading researcher in the field of lung cancer, of which just over a thousand cases are detected in the province each year. "Lung cancer is associated with smoking in 80% to 85% of patients," he said. Other factors that contribute to developing the disease in the remaining 20% are caused by a gas called 'radon' produced from the decay of uranium in soil and rock. Although it is not so common in Malaga, it can be detected in Ronda, which is a mountainous area. The third main cause of lung cancer is atmospheric pollution in large cities.
Immunotherapy and early detection: key to life expectancy in cancer patients
Luckily, there is hope. The emergence of new treatments such as immunotherapy, pharmacological advances and other research milestones have led to an increase in five-year survival. Five years ago, survival stood at 10% of patients, but now it has reached 18%. "The key is that we are detecting patients earlier, so the percentage of long-term survivors, in my opinion, will continue to rise," Dr Benítez said. One important condition for increasing life expectancy is ultra-early detection.
The problem, until now, has been that more than half of these cancers are detected when the disease is accompanied by metastasis. "If we detect it early and it doesn't metastasise, that's when we can talk about a cure," the doctor said, while advocating the introduction of lung cancer screening in the national healthcare system. Studies have shown that, with screening, up to 2% more cases could be detected. Although Dr Benítez denied that there is chronification in this disease, he confirmed that "we are seeing more and more patients treated for more than two, three or four years".
New therapies
There are also several therapies that have changed oncology in relation to this cancer. One is immunotherapy, which involves using the patient's own immune system to attack tumour cells, although the tumour is capable of developing a series of signals to defend and camouflage itself so that it is not recognised. Some tumours use a marker called PD-L1 to defend themselves. Medicines block this shield, allowing the body's defences to see and destroy the malignant cells.
Dr Benítez mentioned new types of immunotherapy, which are undergoing development, such as bispecific antibodies that block other pathways of tumour progression.
Then there are the so-called target therapies. One example is combining a pill with chemotherapy that directly attacks the mutation suffered by the EGFR gene. These new approaches and studies are fundamental to increasing patients' life expectancy.
Dr Benítez also said that he is concerned about the consumption of electronic cigarettes, especially among young people. These devices can only be considered remotely positive if they serve as a switch from normal cigarettes on the path to fully quitting. Some studies suggest that the tumours generated by this practice could be much more aggressive.
AECC calls for music festivals sponsored by e-cigarette companies not to be authorised
The Spanish association against cancer (AECC) recently presented the campaign 'Real Fest', which raises awareness to music festivals sponsored by e-cigarette companies. These festivals are specifically targeted at young people, often adolescents. Strongly denouncing this type of promotion, the AECC urges public administrations not to grant permits to festivals sponsored by companies and brands that promote vaping among children. Young people are much more prone to developing unhealthy habits. In fact, 80% of smokers start consuming tobacco before the age of 18. In Spain, one in two young people between the ages of 14 and 18 (54.6%) have tried electronic cigarettes. According to the AECC, minors who use new nicotine products are up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future.
