New Delhi: One in three people who died of cancer in Delhi over the past 20 years were younger than 44 years, latest Delhi government data shows.
In two decades, 1.1 lakh people have lost their lives to the disease. Of these, around 93,000 deaths occurred in hospitals.
In 2005, a little over 2,000 people succumbed to the disease. This number was 7,400 in nearly 2024. But data shows a wide fluctuation in numbers. For instance, in 2011 the number of cancer deaths in the city was nearly 10,000.
Over 41% of those who died were aged 45–64, nearly 8% were children under 14, and 5.8% were youth aged 15–24. Hospitals in Delhi have recorded the deaths of 7,298 children and 5,415 young people under 24 over this period.
Cancer deaths in the city have been rising at an average rate of around 7% annually, more than three times more than Delhi's population growth.
Over 90% of all cancer deaths were institutional, with the figure peaking at nearly 98% in 2018. This reflects improved reporting and greater reliance on hospitals.
In absolute terms, 38,481 people aged 45–64 died of cancer in hospitals between 2005 and 2024, compared with 23,141 deaths among those aged 65 and above and 18,220 deaths among people aged 25–44. Health experts say cancer is striking hardest during economically productive years, with serious consequences for families and the city's workforce.
Sex-wise analysis shows that men accounted for a larger share of cancer deaths, with nearly 55,300 institutional deaths, compared to over 37,600 women. However, the age pattern remains similar across genders. Among men, nearly 40% of cancer deaths occurred in the 45–64 age group, while among women, this proportion was even higher at over 43%.
Women recorded a slightly higher share of deaths in the 25–44 age group compared to men. Doctors say this may be linked to cancers such as breast and cervical cancer. The trend underscores gaps in routine screening and awareness, particularly among younger women.
Breast (411 deaths) and ovarian cancer (194) were the leading causes among women, while prostate cancer (117) and respiratory cancers (553) were the deadliest among men. Oral and throat cancers caused 607 and 214 deaths in men and women, respectively, reflecting persistent risks from tobacco. Digestive system cancers also took a heavy toll: stomach (412 men, 281 women), colon (70 men, 68 women), and pancreatic (123 men, 70 women). Bladder cancer caused 90 deaths in men and 87 in women.. Overall, men were primarily affected by respiratory and oral cancers, and women by breast and ovarian cancers.
Doctors said there is a need for early screening programmes, lifestyle interventions, and stronger, equal distribution of cancer care to prevent premature cancer deaths.
Dr Abhishek Shankar, Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology at AIIMS, said: "Air pollution is contributing to a real rise in new cancers, particularly lung and breast cancer. Mortality remains high due to unequal distribution of cancer care: private facilities offer access but are unaffordable for many, while govt hospitals are affordable but overstretched. Poor treatment compliance further worsens outcomes. These patterns have been documented repeatedly across various reports and data sources."
He added that Delhi's cancer death figures also include patients from other states who report local addresses, adding to the counts.
Dr Pragya Shukla, HOD Clinical Oncology at Delhi State Cancer Institute, said: "The incidence of cancer is increasing in young adults. The disease in young adults is more aggressive. In such cases, if it is not detected in time and adequately treated, it leads to death. There is a dire need to look into our population-specific screening criteria so that screening starts at an earlier age, and we can detect cancer at an early stage and provide timely and adequate treatment."
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