Union Budget 2025-26 Unveils Measures to Combat India’s Cancer Crisis
New Delhi: In a bid to address the rising cancer burden in India, the Union Budget 2025-26 has announced key initiatives, including the establishment of day-care cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years. Additionally, life-saving cancer treatment drugs will now be fully exempt from basic customs duty (BCD)—a move expected to improve accessibility and affordability.
The urgency of these measures is underscored by a recent Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study, which highlights the alarming scale of cancer-related fatalities in the country. According to the report, three out of five Indians diagnosed with cancer in 2022 succumbed to the disease.
India Tops Cancer Mortality Ratio Among Most-Affected Nations
Based on GLOBOCAN 2022 data, India ranked third globally—behind China and the United States—in absolute cancer cases. However, the study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, reveals that India had the highest mortality-to-incidence ratio (64.47%) among the top 10 cancer-affected nations. Indonesia (58.66%), China (50.57%), and Russia (47.34%) followed behind. In contrast, the United States, despite having more cancer cases than India, recorded a significantly lower mortality-to-incidence ratio of 23.81%.
Most Common and Deadly Cancers in India
- Among women, breast cancer accounted for 31.1% of new cases, followed by cervical cancer (19.6%) and ovarian cancer (7%).
- Breast (24%) and cervical (20.6%) cancers also led in female cancer-related deaths.
- Oral cancer was the most prevalent among men, making up 24.3% of cases and contributing to 21.6% of male cancer deaths.
Rising Cancer Deaths: A Growing Public Health Concern
In 2022, India recorded 8,89,742 cancer deaths, second only to China, which saw 2.32 million deaths. The study also found that cancer incidence rates in reproductive-age women (CIR: 60.08 per 1,00,000) were significantly higher than in men (CIR: 37.25 per 1,00,000). However, in individuals aged 70 and above, men had a far higher CIR (640.08) than women (456.02).
A similar trend was observed in cancer-related mortality rates. While women in the reproductive age group recorded a higher crude mortality rate (CMR) of 27.65 per 1,00,000 compared to men (20.87 per 1,00,000), male CMR exceeded female CMR in all other age groups.
With cancer emerging as a major public health crisis, experts stress the need for early detection, improved treatment accessibility, and policy interventions to curb the growing mortality rate in India.
Source :- Business Standard
