Over 55k cases a year, yet no cancer registry in Telangana

HYDERABAD: With Telangana recording over 55,000 new cancer cases annually — a figure projected to climb to 65,000 within five years — health experts have renewed calls for the govt to declare cancer a notifiable disease and establish a state cancer registry. They warn that the missing registry might fuel the spread of the disease making early detection a challenge.

The proposal has been pending for years. More than 15 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have already made cancer notifiable, mandating both govt and private hospitals to report cases.

Telangana drafted a similar proposal in 2024, but it never materialised. “Though there were discussions after the proposal was submitted and a govt order was drafted in Sept 2025, it got stalled,” said Dr Mukta Srinivasulu, former director of MNJ Cancer Hospital. He stressed that without legal backing, many private hospitals remain reluctant to share patient data. “At present, there is a cancer registry for Hyderabad at NIMS. While some private hospitals cooperate, others do not, despite notices from district medical officers,” he said.

Health department officials said the file is still in circulation, attributing the delay to a“technical issue with the law department”. “Once formalities are completed, a GO will be issued, likely in the first half of the year,” said Dr A Narendra Kumar, director of medical education, Telangana. He agreed that a registry is vital to determine the state’s true cancer burden, noting that existing data is limited to MNJ, NIMS and the Aarogyasri office.

Doctors expressed concern over the state dragging its feet on the matter. “Telangana must expedite its response. Any delay in notification and a registry will directly affect early diagnosis, prevention and survival,” said a senior oncologist.

Experts say relying on data from Hyderabad to estimate statewide trends is unreliable and hampers research, policy planning and resource allocation. “Cancer data from one city cannot represent the entire state. A state-wide registry is essential to identify cancer hotspots across Telangana,” said Dr Sadashivudu Gundet, head of oncology at NIMS, adding that the ICMR has repeatedly urged states to notify cancer cases.

“A registry will help focus on regions with a high incidence of cancer cases because not every area has the same rate of prevalence,” said Dr LM Chandrashekhar Rao, chief of head and neck oncology at Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital.

Drawing parallels with Covid-19 surveillance, doctors said timely notification enables geographically targeted interventions and better deployment of healthcare resources.