India is rapidly headed towards becoming the ‘Cancer Capital of the World’, report by Apollo Hospitals

According to a report published by the annual Health of Nation report by Apollo Hospitals, India is rapidly emerging as the “Cancer Capital of the World”.

The report by Apollo Hospitals displays the increase of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India. These diseases include cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues. All of these diseases affect the nation’s overall health adversely, further exacerbating the issue.

The report indicates that approximately 63% of all mortalities in India are caused by NCDs. By the year 2030, these NCDs are predicted to cost the country $3.55 trillion in lost economic output.

A closer look at the report reveals the following statistics:

A metastatic trend

• 1.39 milion cancer cases in 2020
• 1.57 million expected cancer cases in 2025
• 13% growth in five years

Average age for cancer diagnosis in India is lower than in other countries

• Average age of breast cancer diagnosis in India is 52 years versus 63 in the US and Europe
• Average age of lung cancer diagnosis in India is 59 years versus the 70 years in the West
• 30% of colon cancer patients are aged less than 50 years

In spite of these concerning trends, cancer screening rates in India are still very low:

• 1.9% Breast cancer screening in India versus the 82% in the US, 70% in the UK, and 23% in China
• 0.9% Cervical cancer screening in India versus the 73% in the US, 70% in the UK, and 43% in China

Mental health issues are not less concerning in the country either. With average age of persons in India diagnosed with depression getting younger, the country is more stressed overall.

• One in every 10 individuals had depression out of a sample survey size of 5,000
• Depression percentage is highest among those in the age group of 18-25, where one in every five individuals was depressed.
• 80% of young adults (18-30 years) and seniors (above 65 years) have reported increased stress levels

Additionally, three out of four individuals undergoing health checkups at Apollo were either obese or overweight:

• Obesity incidence has increased from 9% in 2016 to 20% in 2023
• Apollo further observed that 90% of women and 80% of men had a higher waist-to-hip ratio than recommended

Apart from India rising as the “cancer capital of the world”, other NCDs also pose a tremendous threat to the country’s population. Treatment of mental health diseases and diagnosis & screening of cancer-related diseases needs to be made more effective.