| Cancer toll mounts in J&K: Cases near 14,500, deaths cross 8,000 in 2025 | | |  Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 4: Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a steady rise in both cancer incidence and mortality, with official estimates indicating that nearly 14,500 new cancer cases and more than 8,000 cancer-related deaths were recorded in the Union Territory in 2025.
The figures were revealed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, citing estimates prepared by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE).
According to the data, the estimated number of new cancer cases in Jammu and Kashmir increased from 13,060 in 2021 to 13,395 in 2022, 13,744 in 2023, 14,112 in 2024, and is projected to reach 14,493 in 2025.
Cancer-related deaths have also shown a consistent upward trend, rising from 7,211 in 2021 to 7,396 in 2022, 7,592 in 2023, 7,796 in 2024, and an estimated 8,006 deaths in 2025.
Replying to an unstarred question by Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said that the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, based on GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, reported 14.1 lakh new cancer cases and approximately 9.2 lakh cancer-related deaths in India.
The Minister further informed the House that, according to GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, the cumulative risk of developing cancer in India before the age of 75 years is 10.6 per cent, indicating that approximately one in every ten Indians is at risk of developing cancer during their lifetime before the age of 75.
The Centre said that while healthcare is primarily the responsibility of State and Union Territory governments, it is providing financial and technical assistance through the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) under the National Health Mission to strengthen cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment.
The programme supports infrastructure development, human resource strengthening, screening, referral services, treatment facilities and health promotion activities for non-communicable diseases, including cancer.
The Ministry informed that 770 District NCD Clinics and 6,410 NCD Clinics at Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been established across the country. In addition, 524 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) are operational in district hospitals to improve access to decentralised cancer care.
As part of a population-based screening initiative under the NP-NCD, all individuals aged 30 years and above are screened for oral, breast and cervical cancers at healthcare facilities by trained frontline health workers.
The Centre has also approved 39 tertiary cancer care institutions, comprising 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs), to strengthen specialised cancer treatment services across the country.
The latest estimates highlight the growing cancer burden in Jammu and Kashmir and underscore the need for enhanced awareness, early diagnosis and improved access to specialised treatment facilities to reduce mortality and improve patient outcomes. |
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