The TV3 Marathon 2025
The 34th edition of La Marató de 3Cat will focus on raising awareness and promoting cancer research, one of the leading causes of death both in Catalonia and worldwide. La Marató 2025, scheduled for December 14th, aims to mobilize Catalan society around a disease with a significant social impact and which continues to present numerous scientific challenges, even though research in this field has become one of Spain's international strengths.
In 2024, cancer caused the death of 17,000 people in Catalonia, that is, 46 every day and two every hour, and 42,851 new diagnoses were registered, according to data from the Department of Health. Despite the advances achieved in survival rates thanks to research, cancer remains among the leading causes of death worldwide, partly because its incidence is also increasing. Scientific projections indicate that cases will increase by 3.29% in 2025. This continued trend is mainly due to the aging population and current lifestyle habits.
In Catalonia, one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer during their lifetime. In men, it is the leading cause of death, with prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder, and liver cancers being the most common. In women, it is the second leading cause of death, after cardiovascular diseases, with breast, colorectal, lung, uterine, and brain cancers being the most prevalent. While relatively uncommon in children, cancer is the leading cause of death among those aged 5 to 14 and the second leading cause among those aged 15 to 24. Approximately 200 pediatric cases are detected each year, primarily leukemias, brain tumors, and lymphomas.
For children and adults, as well as their families, cancer represents a very high physical impact but also profound emotional consequences that can mark their entire lives.
The investigation
The last few years have been crucial for deepening our understanding of cancer, leading to the development of new diagnostic tools and more effective treatments, as well as the advancement of personalized medicine, which tailors therapies to the characteristics of each patient and each tumor. This has significantly improved survival rates for tumors such as breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.
However, there are still cancers with a poor prognosis—such as those of the pancreas, esophagus, lung, liver, or brain—that have survival rates below 30%. In these cases, the future lies in achieving earlier diagnoses and truly effective therapies, challenges that remain.
To successfully treat more cancers in a less invasive way, while preserving the quality of life of those affected, it is essential to advance early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. In the therapeutic field, techniques that provide greater precision in surgery and radiotherapy are needed, along with continued progress in immunotherapy, a field with enormous potential. Regarding diagnosis, research is driving techniques such as liquid biopsy, which opens the door to detecting the disease earlier, monitoring the response to treatments, and anticipating possible relapses. Likewise, it is essential to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms that cause metastasis.
Experts emphasize that promoting prevention is key to reducing mortality. It is estimated that nearly 50% of cancers could be prevented by adopting healthy habits, having regular checkups, and participating in early detection programs. In Catalonia, there are screening programs for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer. Protective habits include following a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco use and a sedentary lifestyle, moderating alcohol consumption, and getting vaccinated against viruses that can cause cancer, such as HPV or hepatitis. Despite existing knowledge, more research is still needed to identify new risk factors and improve prevention strategies.
The Marathon 2025
La Marató 2025 will focus all its awareness and mobilization efforts on cancer, taking into account the significant challenges it presents and its profound impact on society. The objective is twofold: firstly, to inform and raise public awareness about measures that can help prevent the disease and detect it early; and secondly, to allocate resources to cancer research conducted in Catalonia, an internationally recognized leader in the field with the capacity to generate advances that tangibly improve the quality of life and life expectancy of those affected.
