Study Spotlights India’s Alarming Cancer Burden

January 4, 2024

India ranks second only to China in Asia’s cancer burden with over 1.2 million new cases and 930,000 deaths recorded in 2019, according to a Lancet study highlighting the continent’s escalating affliction.

Key Asia Figures

New Cases in 2019:4 million
Deaths in 2019:6 million
Increase Since 1990: Over 3X more new cases; 2X more deaths

The data underscores cancer’s rising human toll and healthcare challenges across Asia’s populous economies.

India Status and Trends

India constituted 28% of Asia’s new cases in 2019 – a doubling from 1990. Mortality nearly tripled indicating low survival rates.

The disability-adjusted life years metric measuring lost health from cancer also surged from 27 million to 67 million in China and 11 million to 27 million in India over 30 years.

Highest Burden Sites

The most common cancer locations are:

Lung
Breast
Colorectal
Stomach
Prostate

These constitute the majority afflictions in most Asian countries.

Key Risk Factors

Smoking: Responsible for over 33 million lost healthy life years
Alcohol
Air Pollution

In India, smokeless tobacco adds to the burden as 30 crore adults consume products like gutkha. These drive rising oral cancers, especially in youth.

Recommendations for India

Advance national screening programs improving early detection
Awareness drives cautioning about tobacco and spurred by alarming data
Bolster healthcare infrastructure and workforce skills
Taxation, regulations and cessation assistance for smokers also form core priorities.

Community outreach and decentralized capacity building constitute vital grounds-up measures to alleviate surging mortality.

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