A large-scale study analyzes the evolution of the most common cancers in Europe

An international study coordinated by the Jordi Gol Institute for Research in Primary Care (IDIAPJGol), with participation from Miguel Angel Mayer (Hospital del Mar) and Angela Leis and Juan Manuel Ramírez (Hospital del Mar Research Institute, HMRIB), has produced the most detailed picture to date of the cancer situation in Europe. The work, published in The Lancet Regional Health-Europe, analyzes comorbidities, medication use, and overall survival in more than 1.7 million people diagnosed with eight types of cancer in Europe. In doing so, it offers a new perspective on the patient journey, based on real-world evidence. Dr. Angela Leis (HMRIB) explains that "European collaboration and a common data model make it possible to answer clinical questions quickly, transparently, and with representativeness, involving multiple centers and information systems," adding that "in our case, we also relied on the Hospital del Mar Tumor Registry, a reference source that provides additional, highly valuable clinical information".

The research team analyzed eight types of neoplasms with significant impact in terms of frequency or mortality-breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, pancreas, stomach, liver, and head and neck cancers-in people diagnosed between 2000 and 2019.

Data from eight countries

The study includes eleven clinical databases and cancer registries from eight European countries (Spain, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, and Switzerland), harmonized using the OMOP Common Data Model. This approach enables standardized, federated analysis of clinical information without sharing individual-level data. In Spain, the study, coordinated by IDIAP Jordi Gol, included participation from Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, the Girona Biomedical Research Institute, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, and the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville.

Differences in survival

The results show large differences in survival by tumor type. Breast and prostate cancers have the highest survival rates, with five-year survival of approximately 75% to 85%. By contrast, pancreatic cancer continues to have the poorest prognosis, with five-year survival in some countries below 5%. The study also highlights substantial variation in survival across countries and by type of data source (primary care, hospitals, or cancer registries), reflecting differences in healthcare system organization, early detection, and the availability of data.

Comorbidity

The findings show patterns consistent with risk factors and possible early symptoms. In this regard, anemia is a common symptom before diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia are frequent among people with lung cancer; and diabetes and chronic liver disease are common in pancreatic and liver cancers.

IDIAP Jordi Gol researcher Irene López Sánchez, first author of the article, notes that "this research shows how using diverse real-world data sources can help us better understand the cancer burden in Europe, offering a comprehensive, scalable, and easily updatable view of disease progression from diagnosis to resolution".

Reference article

López-Sánchez I, Palomar-Cros A, Claire R, Pérez-Crespo L, Giuliodori A, Koblbauer I, et al. Comorbidities, medication use, and overall survival in eight cancers: a multinational cohort study of 1.7 million patients across Europe. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2026 Apr;63:101585. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101585. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(25)00377-1/fulltext