NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu are the five states that report higher incidence of cancer cases in the country, the Centre said Friday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said that in view of the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the ministry has launched a campaign from February 20 to March 31 to achieve 100% screening of people aged 30 years and above. “The campaign is conducted nationwide across Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and other healthcare facilities,” he said.
Quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), the minister said the five states with higher incidence of cancer cases are UP (2,10,958 cases), Maharashtra (1,21,717), West Bengal (1,13,581), Bihar (1,09,274) and Tamil Nadu (93,536).
According to the ICMR- NCRP data, the estimated number of cancer cases in the country for 2025 is 15,69,793, he said. Quoting Global Cancer Observatory, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), he said, cancer cases in India are likely to increase to 22,18,694 by 2040.
Quoting ICMR, the minister said, the reasons for increase in cancer cases are due to access and availability of improved diagnostic techniques for detection, increased life expectancy, growing share of geriatric population, higher health consciousness and improved health seeking behaviour.
Also, there has been a significant increase in the risk factors associated with NCDs, including cancer, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activities, unhealthy diets, consumption of high salt, sugar and saturated fats.
As informed by the Global Cancer Observatory, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the estimated incidence of cancer cases in India (14,13,316, rate of 98.5 per 100000) accounts for the third highest number of cancer cases after China (48,24,703, rate of 201.6 per 100000) and United States of America (23,80,189, rate of 367 per 100000).
As per the ICMR)-NCRP data, lung and breast are the most common types of cancer in the country in males and females, respectively, the minister added. He said that as per the Budget announcement 2025-26, the government plans to establish 200 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in district hospitals across India.
This initiative builds upon existing efforts, with 372 DCCCs functional across district hospitals. “It aims to bring cancer care closer to communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas, while decongesting over burdened tertiary care facilities,” he said.