One in nine Indians likely to develop cancer

Cancers are a group of diseases characterised by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. It is caused by many external factors, such as tobacco, chemicals, radiation, and infectious organisms as well as some internal factors viz. inherited mutations, hormones, immune conditions, and random mutations.

In 2025, the ICMR-National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) estimated 15,69,793 new cancer cases in India. The crude incidence rate is approximately 100.4 per 1,00,000 people, meaning one in nine Indians is likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. Symptoms of cancer depend on its site of occurrence. For example, lung cancer patients will have cough, breathless, while GI cancers include affected bowel and bleeding in motion, apart from others.

It’s important to note that screening helps to detect cancer at pre invasive stage for many cancers like breast, cervical, rectum, etc. Early detection is the key to treatment that comes in various forms of and also includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapies.

(Dr K Girish Kumar, Deccan Hospital; MBBS, MS General Surgery (Osmania Medical College); MCh Surgical Oncology (Tata Cancer Hospital, Mumbai) MRCSed UK Reg 51661)