Cancer cases are rising mainly because the world's population is larger and older, and cancer risk climbs steeply with age. WHO and IARC also name tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution as growing drivers. In India, ICMR's National Cancer Registry Programme estimated 14.6 lakh new cases in 2022, and about one in nine Indians will develop cancer by the age of 74.
Why are cancer cases increasing?
Cancer cases are increasing because there are more people, people live longer, and cancer risk rises sharply with age. WHO's cancer fact sheet says incidence "rises sharply with age", partly from cumulative exposure to risk factors and partly because cell repair weakens over time. The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) puts numbers on this: fewer than 26 new cancers per 1,00,000 people a year under age 20, about 350 per 1,00,000 at ages 45 to 49, and more than 1,000 per 1,00,000 from age 60. The median age at diagnosis in US registry data is 67.
IARC, WHO's cancer agency, estimated 20 million new cancers and 9.7 million deaths worldwide in 2022 and projects more than 35 million new cases a year by 2050, a 77% increase. It names population ageing and growth as the main reasons, with changing exposure to tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution on top. For India, the ICMR-NCRP paper in the Indian Journal of Medical Research states that the rise in cases "was attributable to the changes in population dynamics and its growth", and notes that Indians over 60 grew from 8.6% of the population in 2011 to 9.7% in 2022.
Better detection also lifts the recorded numbers. NCI explains that a new screening test can raise a cancer's recorded incidence through overdiagnosis while death rates stay flat, so part of any reported rise reflects more testing and more complete registries rather than more disease.
Which cancers are commonest in India?
Lung cancer is the commonest cancer in Indian men and breast cancer in Indian women, according to ICMR's National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), which pooled 28 population-based registries to estimate 14,61,427 new cases in 2022. The table shows the five leading sites by sex from that paper.
| Rank | Men (share of male cancers) | Women (share of female cancers) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lung, 10.6% (75,474 cases) | Breast, 28.8% (2,16,108 cases) |
| 2 | Mouth, 8.4% (60,164) | Cervix, 10.6% (79,103) |
| 3 | Prostate, 6.1% (43,691) | Ovary, 6.2% (46,126) |
| 4 | Tongue, 5.9% (41,845) | Uterus (corpus), 3.7% (27,922) |
| 5 | Stomach, 4.8% (34,353) | Lung, 3.7% (27,897) |
Mouth and tongue together make up 14.3% of male cancers, which is why India's profile differs from the global one, where IARC ranks lung, breast and colorectal cancer as the top three. In children aged 0 to 14, lymphoid leukaemia is the leading cancer in both boys (29%) and girls (24%).
ICMR-NCDIR's 2020 report adds the trends: breast and head-and-neck cancer rates are rising in most registries, cervical cancer is declining, and lung cancers are mostly diagnosed after spread to distant sites, while head-and-neck, stomach, breast and cervix cancers are mostly found at a loco-regional stage. The same paper estimates that one in nine Indians will be diagnosed with cancer between birth and age 74.
How much cancer comes from tobacco, alcohol and body weight?
Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in India: ICMR-NCDIR estimated that tobacco-related cancers made up 3.7 lakh (27.1%) of all Indian cancers in 2020, with the highest share in the north-eastern states and in men. The same report found that lung, mouth, stomach and oesophagus were the commonest cancers in Indian men, and the 2022 NCRP estimate puts mouth and tongue cancer together at 14.3% of male cancers, a pattern that follows smokeless tobacco (khaini, gutkha, zarda) and bidi use. WHO's fact sheet adds that nearly a quarter of all cancer deaths are linked to tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake and physical inactivity, and that air pollution is a notable cause of lung cancer.
Excess body weight is the next lifestyle driver. NCI's review of more than 1,000 studies links overweight and obesity to 13 cancers, including endometrium, oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), stomach, liver, kidney, pancreas, colon and rectum, gallbladder, post-menopausal breast, ovary, thyroid, multiple myeloma and meningioma. Endometrial cancer risk is 2 to 4 times higher with overweight or obesity and about 7 times higher with severe obesity; oesophageal adenocarcinoma risk is more than doubled with obesity. NCI explains the mechanisms: fat tissue makes extra oestrogen, insulin and IGF-1 rise with insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation promotes tumour growth.
NCI also notes that trials of weight-loss diets have not yet shown lower cancer risk, while observational studies and bariatric surgery data point that way; the safest reading is that keeping weight in range from early adulthood matters more than late dieting.
Which infections cause cancer?
About 10% of cancers diagnosed worldwide in 2022 were linked to infections, mainly Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C and Epstein-Barr virus, according to WHO; in low- and lower-middle-income countries the share rises to about 30%.
HPV matters most for Indian women. PIB's campaign backgrounder states that almost all cervical cancers are caused by persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, and that types 16 and 18 account for more than 80% of cervical cancers in India. It cites GLOBOCAN 2022 for over 1,20,000 new cervical cancers and nearly 80,000 deaths a year in India, about a quarter of the world's cervical cancer deaths, making cervix the second commonest cancer in Indian women (10.6% in the ICMR estimate).
Hepatitis B drives liver cancer. WHO estimates 240 million people lived with chronic hepatitis B in 2024 and 1.1 million died from it that year, mostly from cirrhosis and liver cancer; 0.9 million people are newly infected each year, and the infection passes most often from mother to child at birth or in early childhood. HIV does not cause cancer directly but weakens immunity; WHO says it raises cervical cancer risk about six-fold.
The practical point is that these are the most preventable cancers of all, because a vaccine or a screening test removes the cause or catches it years before cancer forms.
What prevents cancer, and by how much?
WHO estimates that about 38% of cancers can be prevented with what is known today. The table lists the measures with the strongest evidence and the effect each source reports.
| Measure | Evidence and effect |
|---|---|
| Stop tobacco | ICMR-NCDIR: 27.1% of Indian cancers are tobacco-related |
| HPV vaccine | Swedish cohort of 1.67 million (NEJM 2020): 47 vs 94 cervical cancers per 1,00,000; rate ratio 0.12 if vaccinated before 17 (88% lower), 0.47 at 17 to 30 |
| Hepatitis B vaccine | WHO: nearly 100% protection, lasting at least 20 years; first dose within 24 hours of birth |
| HPV screening | Osmanabad trial (NEJM 2009), 1,31,746 women: one round of HPV testing halved cervical cancer deaths (hazard ratio 0.52) and advanced cancers (0.47) |
| Mammography | WHO: recommended for women 50 to 69 in settings with strong health systems |
India has acted on the vaccine. PIB reports that from 28 February 2026 a single free dose of Gardasil-4 is offered at government facilities to about 1.15 crore girls aged 14, and stays available on routine immunisation days after the three-month campaign.
WHO names HPV testing as the preferred cervical test, and the NP-NCD programme screens for oral, breast and cervical cancer at district and CHC clinics, per the PIB factsheet. Private options are listed at mammography prices and full-body check-up prices; a general package is not a substitute for the targeted tests above.
How is cancer treated?
Cancer is treated with surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy, used alone or in combination depending on the cancer type and stage. WHO lists the systemic group as chemotherapy, hormonal treatments and targeted biological therapies; immunotherapy and cell therapies are newer members of it. India launched its first home-grown CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancers, NexCAR19, in April 2024, according to PIB.
Indian registry data show how these are combined in practice. ICMR-NCDIR's 2020 report found breast and head-and-neck cancers were treated with multimodality care (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation in varying combinations), cervical cancer mainly with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and lung and stomach cancer mainly with systemic therapy.
Stage at diagnosis decides most outcomes. The 2020 report notes lung cancers were mostly found after distant spread, which limits options, while breast, cervix and head-and-neck cancers were more often loco-regional. WHO says early diagnosis depends on symptom awareness, clinical evaluation and timely referral, and that relief of pain and other problems is possible for more than 90% of people with advanced cancer when palliative care is available.
See a doctor the same week, not after months, for a new lump, a mouth ulcer or white patch that does not heal, unusual bleeding, a cough that persists, or unexplained weight loss.
A medical, surgical or radiation oncologist plans treatment after a biopsy and staging scans; a tumour board at a cancer centre reviews complex cases.
Does Ayushman Bharat cover cancer treatment in India?
Yes. A PIB factsheet (February 2025) states that Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY "covers chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical oncology for cancer treatment for economically vulnerable families", that the scheme aims to start cancer treatment within 30 days, and that over 90% of registered cancer patients had commenced treatment under it by 2024. Treatment is available at empanelled hospitals; HealthFinder lists them under Ayushman hospitals. Check your family's eligibility and card at the hospital's PM-JAY help desk before admission, and ask for the package list, because the scheme pays fixed package rates.
Two other public routes exist. The Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund gives up to ₹5 lakh (maximum ₹15 lakh) to below-poverty-line patients at 27 Regional Cancer Centres, per the same factsheet. Public cancer capacity has grown to 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres, and the National Cancer Grid's 287 member centres treat over 7,50,000 new patients a year, more than 60% of India's cancer load. Government hospitals and NCG member centres are the first stop for anyone without insurance; browse hospitals by city and specialty.
This guide gives no rupee cost ranges for cancer treatment because no cited Indian source publishes them.
This guide is general information from the sources listed below, not medical advice; a registered doctor makes decisions with you.
