The Medical Oncology service at the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, a center affiliated with the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Health, recorded a notable increase in its healthcare activity during 2025, attending to a total of 36,188 patients. This figure represents a 7.62 percent rise compared to 2024.
This growth in care is attributed, in part, to continuous improvements in early diagnosis and advances in oncological treatments. These developments have been crucial in increasing cancer patient survival rates, which in turn generates a greater demand for long-term specialized monitoring and follow-up.
Service professionals highlight that the positive evolution in oncological care translates into encouraging figures. For some of the most common tumors among the hospital complex's reference population, the five-year survival rate now exceeds 95 percent for breast cancer. This is followed by lung cancer, with an 89 percent survival rate, and colon cancer, which reaches 82 percent.
These survival statistics indicate that an increasing number of individuals can resume their lives after a cancer diagnosis and treatment, although they require periodic check-ups to monitor their condition, detect potential relapses, and manage treatment-related side effects. Greater public awareness regarding the importance of medical check-ups also contributes to this trend.
The service's activity has also been reflected in the number of hospital admissions, which rose to 766 in 2025, compared to 707 recorded in 2024. This increase occurs in a context of increasingly complex treatments and care for acute pathologies, within a more specialized and prolonged oncological assistance model.
The Medical Oncology service at Hospital La Candelaria comprises a multidisciplinary team of 32 professionals, including medical staff, nursing personnel, orderlies, nursing care technicians (TCE), and administrative staff. Their work model is based on close collaboration with other services such as Pathological Anatomy, Surgery, Radiation Oncology, Radiodiagnosis, and Hospital Pharmacy, through various Tumor Committees, and the application of personalized medicine.
Furthermore, the service has been accredited by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) for its integration of Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, ensuring continuous support from the initial stages of the disease. The recent Hospital Discharge Satisfaction Survey awarded the team a score of 9.24, demonstrating the excellence of care and the staff's empathy.
The Oncology Day Hospital continues to advance in personalized precision medicine, utilizing advanced biological therapies, immunotherapy, and targeted drugs based on the tumor's genomic profile. This approach helps reduce side effects and improve patient survival. The service also actively participates in clinical trials and translational research in collaboration with the Canary Foundation for Health Research Institute of the Canary Islands (FIISC).
