‘Cancer cases surge, prevention still on backseat’

HYDERABAD: Amid an alarming rise in cancer cases, prevention is standing still in India, said Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, on the eve of World Cancer Day.

In an interaction with TOI , the senior oncologist said that the country must address gaps in cancer prevention, awareness, screening and early diagnosis—and not just expand its cancer treatment centres—if it genuinely wants to make a long-term impact in curbing the spread of the disease.


Indian Council of Medical Research data shows India records 1.5 million new cancer cases annually, with 1,600 deaths every day, largely due to late diagnosis. Telangana alone reports over 55,000 new cancer cases each year, with projections suggesting the figure could exceed 65,000 by 2030.

“These numbers represent a public health crisis. The only sustainable way to reduce cancer incidence and mortality is through improved awareness, health education, screening and early detection, alongside treatment. Expanding cancer centres alone will not solve the problem,” reiterated Dr Nori, who is also advisor (cancer care) to Telangana and AP govt.

He called on NGOs to scale up mobile cancer screening vans and community-level programmes, particularly in rural areas. Calling 2026 the “year of joint responsibility”, Dr Nori stressed the need for coordinated action by govts, NGOs, doctors, hospitals and individuals. He urged the expansion of govt health insurance schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Telangana’s Rajiv Aarogyasri and Andhra Pradesh’s NTR Vaidya Seva to include preventive and screening tests like mammography, pap smears and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, to encourage timely testing.

“These schemes should also expand access to preventive vaccines, especially the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer and the Hepatitis B vaccine for liver cancer,” he said, noting that certain cancers are permanently preventable through vaccination. “With HPV vaccination, cervical cancer can effectively be eliminated over a lifetime, much like polio,” the oncologist added.

He recommended insurance schemes to also cover modern cancer treatments, including advanced radiation therapy to ensure affordability and access. While welcoming the Centre’s decision to make 17 cancer drugs customs-duty free, he said cost relief alone was insufficient. “This will help patients, but prevention must receive equal policy attention,” he emphasised.