In 2022, India witnessed a surge in cancer cases, with over 14 lakh diagnosis and over nine lakh deaths, as per a report from The Global Cancer Observatory, a division of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Breast cancer emerged as the leading cancer contributing to 1.92 lakh cases and claiming 98,337 lives. Lip and oral cavity cancer ranked second with 1.43 lakh cases and 79,979 deaths, while cervical cancer took the third spot with 1.27 lakh cases and 79,906 deaths.
The data revealed that 10.6% of India’s population faces the risk of developing cancer before the age of 75, with a mortality rate of 7.2%. Gender-specific trends revealed that the most prevalent cancers among males include lip and oral cavity, followed by lung, oesophagus, colorectum and stomach.
Meanwhile, for females, most common cancers are breast, cervical cancer, ovary, lip, oral cavity, and colorectum.