Over 5,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Catalonia in 2022

A total of 5,497 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in Catalonia in 2022, accounting for 30% of all cancers detected in women last year. 

Breast cancer mostly affects women, although men can also suffer from it. 

The prognosis of the disease has greatly improved in recent decades, with the five-year survival rate from diagnosis currently at 89%. 

The figures were released by the Catalan health department on October 19, World Breast Cancer Day, which aims to raise public awareness of the importance of early diagnosis. 

Catalonia's breast cancer screening program detects an average of 1,300 cases a year. 

Most common cancer in women 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Catalonia, both in terms of number of cases and number of deaths. According to data from the health department, there are 138 cases per 100,000 women. 

In terms of mortality, it is estimated that 1,091 women died of breast cancer last year, accounting for 18% of the total number of deaths from cancer in women in Catalonia. The crude mortality rate is 27 per 100,000 women. 

Early detection 

The health department emphasizes the importance of detecting breast cancer at a very early stage, when it does not yet cause discomfort and the possibility of a cure is higher. 

Women aged 50 to 69 to have a mammogram every 2 years, in accordance with the recommendations of several international bodies. 

About 430,000 women are invited to participate in the screening program each year, and of these, 65% participate. 

In recent years, the program has detected an average of 1,300 cases of breast cancer a year. 

Although the exact causes are not known, the European Code against Cancer includes a series of recommendations to reduce the risk of breast cancer, such as maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding obesity – especially after menopause, regular physical activity, breastfeeding, and reducing alcohol consumption. 

Girona pink ribbon 

The Oncolliga Foundation Girona gathered people together in Plaça Miquel Santaló to create a giant pink ribbon to mark World Breast Cancer Day. 

During the event, the writer Maria Mercè Roca read a speech urging society to "break the silence," "run away from metaphor" when talking about cancer and "make the disease present, real and tangible." 

Roca, who suffered from breast cancer, remarked that war-like language often used "stigmatized the disease and the patient." 

"We used to say that we fought the disease, and that we won if the patient was cured, or we lost if they died." 

The writer called on politicians and the public health service to provide more resources for research into the disease and for diagnostic tests, to prevent delays in detecting breast cancer.