Rising cancer incidence rates one of the top 5 cause of deaths in India: EY-FICCI study

The reported cancer incidence in India this year is estimated to be 19 to 20 lakhs, whereas real incidence is 1.5 to 3 times higher than the reported cases as per the study by EY and FICCI on the state of cancer incidence in the country.

The report titled “Call for Action: Making quality cancer care more accessible and affordable in India” suggests that India is faced with a sizeable cancer incidence burden, which continues to grow exponentially. The 2020 WHO ranking on cancer burden in terms of new yearly cases being reported, ranked India at the third position after China and the US, respectively.

In a global comparison for organ-wise incidence, the disease burden for head and neck, breast, cervix and ovary cancers in India is higher if not at par with other countries like China, the US and the UK. This is outlined by the fact that cancer of the head and neck are found to be progressing at a CAGR of 23%, prostate cancer at 19%, ovarian cancer at 11% and breast cancer at 8% which is faster than the overall growth rate of incidence. Six states, which represent 18% of India’s population, have 23% share of the country’s reported incidence burden and have the highest crude incidence rates. Kerala, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, and Assam report the highest overall crude incidence rates of cancers which is greater than 130 cases per lakh population.