Canary Islands Lung Cancer Patient Advocacy Initiative Gains Momentum

The Fundación Canaria de Cáncer de Pulmón hosted the first Regional Patient Advocacy meeting in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in June, supported by AstraZeneca. The event focused on patients' and families' experiences, quality of life, rights and participation in lung‑cancer care.

Lung cancer is Spain's third‑most‑diagnosed tumour, with around 34,900 new cases projected for 2026 and more than 23,000 deaths each year. Advances in diagnosis, targeted oral therapies and immunotherapy have improved survival, prompting foundation president Dr. Delvys Rodríguez Abreu to declare, “Ya podemos empezar a hablar de patient advocacy en cáncer de pulmón.” He noted that advocacy is still a young movement compared with breast‑cancer, but the rising survivorship also forces the health system to reorganise and address new long‑term care challenges. The rally’s slogan, “Hablemos de cáncer de pulmón, hablemos de vivir,” summed up the shift from a fatal prognosis to a focus on living with the disease.