Breast cancer patients in Spain demand public funding, equal access and care beyond treatment

Care beyond treatment

On World Breast Cancer Day, Monday, 19 October 2026, the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) urged a more human and comprehensive approach that covers the emotional, family, social and work effects of a diagnosis. Its statement asks that patients receive clear and rigorous information, find welcoming settings and meet professionals who have time to listen. The association's campaign for this year, 'Nos lo tomamos a pecho', was first run in 2025, and its new edition looks at fears of relapse, physical and emotional after-effects, changes in body image and difficulty returning to daily life.

Isabel Orbe, the AECC's director general and head of its scientific foundation, framed the demand this way:

Quality care is not limited to diagnosis and treatment. It also means feeling accompanied, understood and informed.

The association says breast cancer is the second most common cancer in Spain. It estimates 38,318 new cases in 2026 and more than 516,000 women living with a diagnosis. Five-year net survival is put at 87.8%, although RTVE reported 87% in its coverage.

Figures behind the day

In 2025 the AECC attended 22,827 women with breast cancer, with the option of using several services. Of them, 14,349 received psychological care, 9,426 social care and 8,071 health care.

The association reports more than 32 million euros for breast cancer research, spread across 110 projects under development. Its wider cancer research budget stands at 157 million euros for 792 projects. Current breast cancer studies include clinical trials of new CAR-T treatments, a new route to prevent metastasis and biomarkers to personalise treatment for aggressive tumours.

Protest at the Ministry

About a hundred patients gathered in front of the Ministry of Health in Madrid on Monday. They demanded public funding for treatments and research, equal access to diagnosis and care, earlier and free screening, and an end to commercial 'Octubre Rosa' campaigns. EL PAÍS put the number of people diagnosed each year in Spain at around 37,000. Cristina García Zarza, who was diagnosed in October 2023, spoke at the protest:

It cannot depend on postcode or economic capacity. Too many women have to pay for private tests because of waiting lists.

Protesters also cited recent research showing that cases among younger women have risen 29% over the past three decades.

Work, screening and radiotherapy

Patients also describe difficulty returning to work. El Confidencial reports that after-effects such as chronic fatigue, poor concentration and memory loss are often not recognised by employers, and that the rigidity of many jobs makes reinstatement harder. Dr Noelia Martínez, an oncologist at the Ramón y Cajal hospital, said:

They finish the treatment, but the process has not ended. They have to rejoin family, personal and working life as if nothing had happened, but something did happen.

The Ministry of Health has paused the planned expansion of preventive screening until after the elections on 29 November, according to El Confidencial. Cristina Saura, head of the breast cancer unit at the Vall d'Hebron hospital, told La Vanguardia that the national programme starts at 50 and covers women up to 69 with mammograms every two years. She said participation does not exceed 70% and that the programme is probably insufficient. La Razón reports that specialists from GEORM say five-session radiotherapy schedules keep results comparable to longer ones in selected patients, and that about 85% of patients will need radiotherapy at some point.