Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with new cases of cancer and die. Studies have predicted that the figures will increase rapidly by the year 2050. According to Cancer Data, an estimated 20 million (two crore) new cases of cancer will be diagnosed worldwide in the year 2022 and more than 9.7 million (97 lakh) people will die. Not only this, researchers estimate that by the year 2050, the number of cancer patients may reach 35 million (3.5 crore) every year.
Statistics of the last decade show that even in India, the cases of this serious and fatal disease are increasing rapidly year after year. Even though cancer is no longer an incurable disease due to innovations in technology and medicine, cancer treatment still remains difficult to reach for common people due to medical costs.
India declared ‘Cancer Capital’ of the world
Recently released data regarding Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) shows that the level at which cancer cases are increasing in the country is definitely worrying. India has become the “Cancer Capital of the World”, surpassing global rates of cancer cases.
According to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal, India recorded nearly 12 lakh new cancer cases and 9.3 lakh deaths in 2020, making it the second-highest cancer burden in Asia that year. Has gone.
About one in three Indians are pre-diabetic, two in three are pre-hypertensive, and one in ten are depressed on World Health Day 2024, according to the fourth edition of the Health of Nation Report by Apollo Hospitals.
The research emphasizes the alarming increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, which include cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular illnesses, and mental health disorders. These conditions have a substantial impact on the health of the country. Interestingly, India is becoming the “cancer capital of the world” as the country’s cancer incidence rises relative to worldwide rates.
India has more cancer cases than China and Japan
Researchers said India, along with China and Japan, is one of the three leading countries in Asia in terms of the number of new cancer cases and deaths. In India, breast and cervical cancer are the most common cases among women, while men are most at risk of lung, mouth and prostate cancer.
However, despite the lower average age for cancer diagnosis in India compared to other countries, cancer detection rates remain quite low, according to the release. In most of the patients, cancer is detected only in the last stages where the treatment of the disease becomes very difficult.
