The largest study on cancer in Spain will have 7,000 cases

The largest study of cancer research, MCC-Spain, is completing its first phase focused on data collection. So far 3110 has been captured and 5,323 control cases of cancer (colorectal cancer 1964, 1494 of breast cancer, prostate cancer 994, 440, 431 stomach cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia). Until the final closure by year-end is intended to achieve the 7,000 cancer cases and nearly 3,000 controls.

With this stock on 29th and 30th September 50 researchers involved in the study met in Leon to prepare the data collected for the analysis of cancer cases to be held throughout 2012. From there, they drew conclusions about cancer risk factors both genetic and environmental (for example: water, air or food), and interactions between the two.

MCC-Spain is coordinated by Professor Manolis Kogevinas, CREAL co-director, and Dr. Marina Pollán, National Epidemiology Center of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III researcher.

The project studies tumors very common in Spain, with high incidence, and therefore with great relevance to public health. It is a project focused on public health information that comes from 19 hospitals belonging to ten autonomous regions (Catalonia, Madrid, Navarra, Basque Country, Asturias, Murcia, Castilla y León, Andalusia, Valencia, Cantabria).

It should be remembered that cancer is a major public health problem in our country. Each year, it was detected more than 160,000 cases of cancer in Spain. A man of two and one woman of three will suffer this pathology in their lifetime and a man of three and one woman of four will die from it.