WORLD Health Organization (WHO) has said that one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 will die of the disease.
The report was released by WHO and its specialized International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
These statistics warrants immediate attention of policymakers as World Cancer Day is being observed on February 4.
There were about 1.16 million new cancer cases in India in 2018, cancer deaths were 784,800 and 2.26 million five year prevalent cases were reported in India.
"Cancer patterns in India are dominated by a high burden of tobacco-related head and neck cancers, particularly oral cancer, in men and cervical cancer in women. Both of these cancer types are associated with lower socioeconomic status," the report said.
In India, the six most common cancer types were breast cancer, oral cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Together, these account for 49 per cent of all new cancer cases.
There are currently 164 million users of smokeless tobacco, 69 million smokers, and 42 million smokers and chewers in India. More than 90 per cent of patients with oral cancer have low or lower-middle socioeconomic status.
Tobacco-related cancers account for 34-69 per cent of all cancers in men, they constitute 10-27 per cent of all cancers in women in most regions in India.
The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in the most developed states in India and urban populations.
World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
Anti-Racism protesters come out in support of refugees outside the Cladhan Hotel on September 13, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
