MUMBAI: Every year, 10 lakh Indians are diagnosed with cancer and another six to seven lakh die of it. And it’s feared that, by 2035, these numbers may almost double to 17 lakh new patients and 12 lakh deaths per year.

These projections are part of a special research paper on Indian cancer published in Lancet Oncology journal . Stating that cancer has “devastating economic and human costs” in India, over 40 experts from across the globe have asked Indian politicians, who are busy with electioneering at the moment, to concentrate on public health programmes for cancer.

More cancer specialists, more hospitals and more money for research for India-specific affordable treatment are needed to change the cancer graph of India, said the paper, written mainly by researchers at King’s College in London and Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, Mumbai.

One of the authors, Dr C S Pramesh from Tata Memorial Hospital, said the worst aspect of India’s cancer picture is poor life expectancy. Over 60% of cancer patients in the US enjoy an over five-year survival rate, but the corresponding figure for India is 30%. “It’s worrying that between 60% and 70% of our patients die earlier mainly because they seek treatment only after their disease has reached an advanced stage,’’ said Dr Pramesh. Incidentally, India has a relatively lower incidence of cancer—around a quarter of that in the US or Western Europe. But the rate of deaths is similar to that seen in high-income countries.

The study’s lead author, Dr Richard from King’s College, told TOI, “India is a demographically young country. Even though rates of cancer are lower than in high-income countries, the absolute numbers still make this a massive public health burden, and in the next 20 to 30 years India will rapidly ‘age’ and catch up with the rates in other countries.”

The latest Lancet Oncology issue, in fact, focuses on India, China and Russia, as they account for 46% of all new cancer cases worldwide and 52% of all cancer deaths globally. It found that over two-thirds (71%) of cancer deaths in India occur in patients aged 30 to 69, with a significant number of premature deaths of people in the prime of their lives.

