— Swathy R Iyer
A new report has sounded the alarm about the steady rise in India of non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer.
Apollo Hospital’s ‘Health of Nation 2024' report says the number of cancer cases in the country is projected to touch 15.7 lakh in 2025 — up 13% from 13.9 lakh cases in 2020.
The report is based on cancer data from multiple sources, including the cases seen at Apollo Group, National Cancer Registry Program Report 2020, National Family Health Survey-5, CDC-US and NHS-UK.
The most common cancers in India are breast, cervical and ovarian cancer (among women) and lung, mouth and prostate cancer (among men).
According to the report, the incidence of colon cancer among people younger than 50 years is on the rise globally and in India, and is projected to double over the next decade.
The median age for cancer diagnosis in India is lower compared to countries like the USA, the UK and China. But India also ranked much lower in terms of cancer screening rates
About 98% of women diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier stage have a better five-year survival rate compared to 31% diagnosed at advanced stages. Early and regular screening can be lifesaving.