This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Six months after the launch of the philanthropic campaign ‘CNIO Friends: more research, less cancer’, the Centre honours its donors in a video designed to promote individual philanthropy in cancer research
Thanks to research, cancer patient survival rates stand at around 50% and, in some cases, 90%
However, cancer is still the second major cause of death in Spain, and a 20% increase in cases over the next 20 years has been projected
Among the CNIO's priorities is prevention and greater access to experimental cancer treatment drugs
In the words of one of the CNIO Friends involved in the video released today by the Centre, to attract greater support for research and to share the advances made that are changing the course of this illness: the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) is one of the main cancer research centres in the world, and it is in Madrid, only a short distance from the Bernabeu Stadium, in the northern section of the Paseo de la Castellana, one of the main streets in the city.
Recent progress in cancer treatment has achieved figures that were unimaginable years ago: the average survival rate of patients stands at about 50% and in some cases it has already reached 90%. Even so, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expects an increase in the number of cancer cases over the next 20 years. Consequently, a firm commitment to research must be made so that more people can survive the illness in the future.
INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY IN RESEARCH
The initiative aims to enable CNIO Friends who have selflessly contributed to the Centre’s research projects to express their opinions. Six months after the launch of the campaign to promote awareness and attract support for cancer research, the initiative has more than 300 donors who have decided to commit to the project and over 13,000 followers on social networks.
Now, the CNIO wants to create a larger community to tackle the disease. “I contribute because I believe research is a fundamental pillar for the advancement of society” or “every euro invested in this is a euro invested in happiness” are only a few of the reasons that have driven people to join this initiative.
Maria A. Blasco, CNIO Director, explains that “the response from citizens has been spectacular, which motivates us even more to continue working for this important cause, which is cancer research,” and she adds: “We aspire to a future free from cancer, and citizens are giving us their unconditional support and solidarity in this task, for which I would like to express my sincerest thanks.”
MORE PREVENTION AND MORE EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS
Around six out of every ten cancers are attributable to lifestyle and, therefore, could be avoided. One of the pillars of the CNIO is prevention, which covers epidemiological studies and the analysis of the genome; this research is carried out by the Human Cancer Genetics and Molecular Oncology Programmes. In addition, in the Familial Cancer Consultancy at the Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, patients with a family history of cancer receive genetic counselling to act accordingly, with measures that include undergoing more medical check-ups or preventive surgery.
Another field of interest for the CNIO is metastasis, the leading cause of death of 90% of cancer patients. For this reason, the Centre has created two new research groups this year that will work on the development of medicines that will specifically target this process.
Furthermore, through its Clinical Research Programme, the CNIO is consolidating a consortium with public and private hospitals to develop clinical oncology trials. This Programme enables hundreds of patients to have access to experimental therapies in Spain, without having to travel to the USA or other countries.
To support the ‘CNIO Friends’ initiative: https://www.cnio.es/en/cnio-friend/
You can follow it through our social media: HazteAmigodelCNIO (Facebook), @CNIO_Cancer (Twitter)