India and China together account for more than half of the global cancer burden, making Asia the epicentre of the disease. Without stronger prevention and early detection, experts warn that the region will shoulder an even larger share of the global burden in the coming decades.

Why are cancer cases rising in India?

India’s growing cancer burden is not the result of a single cause but of multiple forces acting together. One reason is demographic. Indians are living longer than ever before, and cancer is primarily a disease associated with ageing. As life expectancy increases, so does the number of people vulnerable to cancer.

Equally important are lifestyle changes accompanying rapid urbanisation. Rising obesity, unhealthy diets, reduced physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption and prolonged exposure to air pollution are contributing to increasing rates of several cancers. Smoking continues to drive lung cancer, while smokeless tobacco products — including gutkha, khaini and betel quid — remain a major reason India has one of the world’s highest burdens of oral cancer.

Improved diagnostic facilities have also resulted in more cancers being detected than in previous decades, although experts stress that this does not fully explain the rising incidence.

According to Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the Cancer Surveillance Unit at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), prevention has become especially important in India because lung, oral cavity, cervical, breast and colorectal cancers account for a substantial proportion of the country’s disease burden. She also points to stark differences in access to healthcare between metropolitan centres and nearby rural districts, where delayed diagnosis remains common.

India’s unique cancer profile

India’s cancer pattern differs significantly from that seen in many Western countries.

Breast cancer has emerged as the country’s most common cancer, accounting for 192,020 new cases in 2022. It is followed by lip and oral cavity cancer (143,759 cases), cervical cancer (127,526), lung cancer (81,748) and oesophageal cancer (70,637).

Among women, breast cancer accounts for more than one in four new diagnoses, while cervical cancer remains the second leading cancer despite being largely preventable through HPV vaccination and regular screening. Among men, cancers of the lip and oral cavity remain the leading diagnosis, reflecting the continuing impact of tobacco use.

Another concern is the growing incidence of colorectal cancer, a disease increasingly associated with ageing populations, dietary changes and sedentary lifestyles.

Prevention offers the greatest opportunity

Experts believe that a substantial proportion of cancers can either be prevented or detected early enough for successful treatment.

The priorities are well established: stronger tobacco control, HPV vaccination, routine screening for breast, cervical and oral cancers, healthier diets, regular physical activity, reduced alcohol consumption and greater awareness of warning signs such as unexplained bleeding, persistent cough, non-healing ulcers or unexplained weight loss.

Early diagnosis is particularly critical. Many patients in India continue to reach hospitals only after the disease has progressed to advanced stages, reducing survival and increasing treatment costs.

While advances in surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapies and immunotherapy have transformed outcomes for many cancers, public health experts argue that prevention remains the country’s most powerful and cost-effective intervention.

The next challenge: building a healthcare system that treats people, not just disease

The WHO’s Global Status Report on Cancer 2026 argues that health systems must move beyond treating tumours alone and adopt a genuinely people-centred approach to cancer care.

The organisation’s first global survey of people affected by cancer found that 45 per cent experience financial hardship, more than half report mental health challenges, and almost all caregivers describe significant strain, including emotional exhaustion, social isolation and the burden of unpaid care. About half of patients report losing close personal relationships, while catastrophic healthcare expenditure continues to affect many families.

These findings are particularly relevant for India, where disparities in access to specialist care remain wide and many patients travel long distances for treatment.

The report also highlights global inequalities in survival. While five-year survival for breast cancer exceeds 85 per cent in high-income countries, it falls below 30 per cent in many low-income settings. Access to essential cancer medicines remains highly uneven, underscoring the need for stronger health systems alongside better prevention.

As India prepares for a future in which nearly 2.8 million people could be diagnosed with cancer every year, the country’s response will require more than new medicines and more hospitals. It will demand stronger prevention, earlier diagnosis, equitable access to treatment and a healthcare system that recognises that behind every cancer statistic is a person.