Cancer Cases In India, 2024? Health Minister Shares Shocking Numbers, Check

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that India recorded over 15 lakh cancer cases in 2024. He shared the figures in a written reply, citing data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). “The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that as per the National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCRP) Data, the estimated incidence of cancer cases in the country for 2024 is 15,33,055,” Jadhav stated. He presented a rising trend in cases over the last five years.

Cancer Cases Rose by Nearly 2 Lakh Since 2019

Jadhav reported a steady rise in cancer diagnoses since 2019. In that year, India recorded 13.5 lakh cases. The number rose to 13.9 lakh in 2020, 14.2 lakh in 2021, 14.6 lakh in 2022, and 14.9 lakh in 2023. The 2024 estimate stands at 15.3 lakh. This marks a nearly 2 lakh rise over five years. The minister attributed the increase to better diagnostic facilities, rising life expectancy, and a growing elderly population. He also pointed to more people being aware of their health and seeking medical help earlier than before.

India Saw Highest Cancer Death Toll in 2023

According to the minister, 2023 recorded the highest number of cancer-related deaths since 2019. “8.2 lakh patients are estimated to have died of cancer in 2023 — the highest since 2019,” Jadhav said. In 2019, 7.5 lakh people died due to cancer. The toll increased gradually to 7.7 lakh in 2020, 7.8 lakh in 2021, and over 8 lakh in 2022. The figures reveal a consistent upward trend in cancer mortality over the last five years. Jadhav underlined the need for strong measures to reduce the death rate from cancer.

Risk Factors Behind Growing Cancer Numbers

Jadhav explained the causes contributing to the rise in cancer cases. “The reasons for the increase in the number of estimated cancer cases are due to access and availability of improved diagnostic techniques for the detection of cancer, increased life expectancy, growing share of geriatric population, higher health consciousness, and improved health-seeking behaviour,” he said. He added that several lifestyle factors also played a role. These include tobacco and alcohol use, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and high consumption of salt, sugar, and saturated fats.

Government Launches National Programme to Fight Cancer

To deal with the rising threat of cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the government has launched the National Programme for Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD). Jadhav said the programme aims to prevent and control common NCD risk factors and reduce premature deaths from diseases like cancer. “The focus of this programme is on health promotion, early diagnosis, management, and referral of cases, besides strengthening the infrastructure and capacity building,” he said. The government is working at multiple healthcare levels to spread awareness, enable early treatment, and promote behaviour change.

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