Article 2: Counting cancer
Why in news: Telangana declared cancer a notifiable disease, becoming the 17th State to do so, renewing the debate on making cancer nationally notifiable for better surveillance and evidence-based cancer control.
Key Details
- State Initiative: Telangana became the 17th State to notify cancer as a notifiable disease, requiring mandatory reporting of all diagnosed cases.
- Need for Better Data: Existing population- and hospital-based cancer registries cover only 10–16% of India's population and are largely urban and government hospital-centric.
- Rising Cancer Burden: The World Health Organization-affiliated Global Cancer Observatory projects India's cancer cases to rise from 1.41 million (2022) to 2.46 million (2045)—an increase of over 74%.
- Policy Gap: The Union Government has not made cancer nationally notifiable, although the Indian Council of Medical Research and ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Epidemiology and Research (formerly National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research) have recommended it.
- Way Forward: National notification would improve surveillance, capture private-sector data, strengthen evidence-based policymaking, and support effective prevention, treatment, and awareness programmes.
Current Status of Cancer Reporting in India
- Cancer is not a nationally notifiable disease as the Union Health Ministry reserves mandatory notification mainly for communicable diseases.
- The Centre currently relies on population-based and hospital-based cancer registries to estimate cancer cases.
- These registries cover only 10–16% of the population and are largely limited to urban government healthcare facilities.
States Taking the Lead
- Several States have independently declared cancer a notifiable disease.
- Telangana is the latest State to do so, increasing the total number of such States to 17.
- State-level notification improves reporting and strengthens local disease surveillance.
Rising Cancer Burden and Need for Better Data
- The World Health Organization-affiliated Global Cancer Observatory projects cancer cases in India to rise from 1.41 million (2022) to 2.46 million (2045)—an increase of over 74%.
- Factors driving this rise include:
- Increasing life expectancy
- Ageing population
- Lifestyle and dietary changes
- Reliable data is essential for timely public health planning and intervention.
Need for National Notification
- Existing registries fail to capture a significant number of cases, especially those treated in the private healthcare sector.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research and ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Epidemiology and Research (formerly National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research) have recommended making cancer a nationally notifiable disease.
- Comprehensive reporting would provide accurate nationwide estimates and support evidence-based policymaking.
Way Forward
- A rise in reported cases after notification should be viewed as improved surveillance, not as a policy failure.
- Better data will strengthen:
- Cancer prevention and early detection
- Healthcare planning and resource allocation
- Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns
- National cancer control strategies
- The Centre should adopt the successful State-level model and make cancer a nationally notifiable disease.
Conclusion
Making cancer a nationally notifiable disease would strengthen disease surveillance, improve data quality, and enable evidence-based policymaking. Comprehensive reporting from both public and private healthcare institutions can facilitate early intervention, equitable resource allocation, and targeted awareness campaigns. A robust national cancer database is essential for reducing the disease burden and achieving better public health outcomes in India.