Cancer Burden Rising Sharply In India, Experts Call For Early Detection
Cancer is fast emerging as one of the biggest health challenges in India, with incidence levels reaching what experts describe as near-epidemic proportions. There is an urgent need for early detection, public awareness and wider use of precision medicine to ease the growing crisis.The scale of cancer has changed dramatically since the 1990s. “When I started my career, we hardly saw cancer patients in neighbourhoods, but today every alternate family has one. The magnitude of the problem has drastically increased,” Dr Anil Kumar Dhar, Head of Medical Oncology, Marengo Asia Hospitals,noted, citing Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan) estimates of 2 million to 2.5 million new cases annually in India, with one-third resulting in death.
Dhar noted that cervical cancer stems from poor hygiene, breast cancer from urban lifestyle shifts, oral cancers from tobacco, and lung cancers from smoking and pollution. “Correcting these risk factors can cut incidence significantly,” he said
The Crushing Cost of Care
“The average spend on cancer care is about Rs 3.3 lakh annually. Imagine a family earning Rs 2 lakh a year spending more than its income on treatment. Many sell properties or exhaust their savings, which is devastating,” Sanjeev Vashishta, CEO and MD, Pathkind Diagnostics said , highlighting the heavy financial toll on households.
He added that delays in treatment and high dropout rates due to costs worsen outcomes. “One in nine Indians in their lifetime are bound to get cancer. This is not just a medical crisis but a socioeconomic one that affects caregivers, livelihoods and the nation’s output,” Vashishta remarked.
Dr Abhishek Bansal, Chief of Interventional Radiology, Aakash Hospital, called for more holistic, patient-centric approaches. “Doctors often come in only when all options run out. We need multidisciplinary teams to decide the best course early, balancing medical, social and financial realities,” he said, adding that government hospitals must reclaim their role in oncology to ease the burden on private care.
Dr Pavan Choudary, Chairman, Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) and Blue Circle, underlined the human dimension behind the numbers. “When cancer comes into a poor family, the first thought is ‘how will we handle it?’ Many patients face humiliation or turn to unscientific remedies. The socioeconomic impact runs deep,” he said.
As India confronts a mounting cancer crisis, experts agree that awareness, early screening, affordability and innovation in diagnostics and therapy are essential to reducing its impact. “Whatever can be diagnosed can be cured. The earlier we act, the more lives we save, and the fewer families are pushed into poverty,” Dr Geetanjali Nanda, Consultant Radiologist, Mahajan Imaging said.
Cultural Barriers and Stigma
Cultural stigma often delays early detection, particularly for women. “We live in a country where 80 per cent of women have never uttered the word ‘breast.’ When they discover a lump, many hesitate for months before telling anyone. By then, cancers progress to later stages, making treatment costly and reducing survival chances,” Dr Nanda noted.
Nanda added that younger women are increasingly at risk, with cases now emerging in the 40–50 age group. “This is when women are raising families and contributing to incomes, so the psychological and financial toll on households is enormous,” she said, urging open dialogue and wider adoption of preventive vaccines such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer.
Technology and Precision Medicine
Technological advances are offering new possibilities for detection and treatment. Vashishta pointed to the role of artificial intelligence (AI), digital pathology and genetic testing in bridging gaps in resources. “India has 300,000 labs but only 29,000 qualified pathologists and biochemists. With AI-enabled pattern recognition and digital pathology, we can extend diagnostics to remote areas and ensure faster, more accurate results,” he said.
Emerging tools such as liquid biopsies and next-generation sequencing could help detect predispositions and personalise care. Radiology too is becoming more precise, said Nanda. “Radiology has moved into radiomics and radiogenomics, linking imaging with genetic testing. Surgeons can now use augmented reality (AR) to simulate surgeries before entering the operating theatre, reducing complications and costs,” she explained.
Dhar emphasised that treatment itself is being reshaped by precision oncology. “Earlier we gave the same treatment to all patients with a disease. Now, precision oncology means tailoring treatment to each patient’s genetics and histopathology. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy have revolutionised outcomes, offering minimal side effects and improved survival even in elderly patients,” he said.
The experts voiced their insights during a panel discussion at the recent BW Oncology Summit. The panel was moderated by Pavan Choudary, Chairman, MTaI & Blue Circle.
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