This integrated model, driven by Hospital Clínic Barcelona, IDIBAPS and the University of Barcelona, combines advanced care with translational research to address the challenges of cancer in a coordinated way.
Comprehensive care and clinical innovation
Cancer is a complex disease that requires a multidisciplinary approach to improve patients’ survival and quality of life. The Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre provides care through 7 functional units specialised by tumour type, with 15 multidisciplinary tumour boards, approximately 179,000 outpatient visits per year and more than 450 active clinical studies.
It also has three cross-cutting programmes — Molecular Tumor Board, Hereditary Cancer and Genetic Predisposition, and Immunotherapy — that contribute to innovation and the development of personalised treatments. A highlight in 2025 was the appointment of new heads of department in Medical Oncology and Haematology, who bring expertise in targeted therapies and transplants, strengthening care for complex patients.
This year also saw the launch of the C17 Integrated Cancer Network (XIC-C17), an initiative that aims to reinforce coordination among the centres that form part of the C17 corridor and to offer more comprehensive and multidisciplinary care to patients with cancer.
Recently, the centre successfully completed the OECI audit, a European network of cancer centres of excellence that assesses nearly 700 criteria in governance, prevention, early detection, multidisciplinary treatments, research and training. This process strengthens the centre’s commitment to continuous improvement and its European leadership in oncology.
Cutting-edge research at IDIBAPS
Research is organised through the IDIBAPS Cancer Area, which brings together 26 research groups tackling the main challenges in oncology, from developing new treatments and diagnostic tests to understanding the biological mechanisms of cancer. These groups include experts in clinical oncology, translational research and basic sciences, working in a coordinated way to ensure real impact on patients.
The Clínic-IDIBAPS research groups publish around 530 scientific articles on cancer every year and lead major national and international projects in this field.
Over the past year, two European projects coordinated from Clínic-IDIBAPS have been launched: MILenARI, which seeks to make CAR-T therapies accessible across the Mediterranean basin, and EMPATHY, which aims to optimise radiotherapy and protect healthy tissues. In addition, an excellence programme funded with 2 million euros by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) has been launched to improve response to cancer immunotherapy. The main objective of this project is to identify the biological mechanisms that explain why some patients with cancer do not respond to immunotherapy.
Below are six examples of scientific studies from the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre published over the last year:
- Researchers demonstrate that a targeted immunotherapy halves the risk of metastasis in a subgroup of patients with early HER2-positive breast cancer
- The 2025 BCLC guidelines present a new model to personalise treatment for liver cancer
- A multicentre study identifies different colorectal cancer risks depending on the gene affected in Lynch syndrome
- A new epigenetic methodology makes it possible to reconstruct cancer evolution and anticipate its clinical progression
- Colonoscopy and faecal blood tests are equivalent for detecting colorectal cancer
- An international study led by a Clínic-IDIBAPS researcher shows the first significant improvement in twenty years in the treatment of a subgroup of patients with liver cancer
Commitment to patients and the future
The Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre continues to make progress in the fight against cancer with a patient-centred approach, integrating care, teaching and research to offer the best available treatment options. World Cancer Day is a reminder of the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and collaborative innovation to reduce the impact of this disease.
