Breast, Cervical, and Oral Cancer a Growing Concern – FPA India Calls for Awareness

February 4, 2025 – Mumbai, India: On the occasion of World Cancer Day, the Family Planning Association of India (FPA India) is highlighting the alarming incidence of common cancers in the country and calling for urgent action to improve awareness, screening, and early detection. Breast, oral cavity, and cervical cancers remain the most prevalent, accounting for approximately 34% of all cancer cases in India, making them a public health priority.

"The numbers are significant, and the need for collective and immediate action is critical," said Dr. Kalpana Apte, CEO, Family Planning Association of India (FPA India). "With breast, cervical, and oral cancers contributing to such a large proportion of cases, we must prioritize prevention, early detection, and equitable access to treatment."

According to Globocan 2020, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India, constituting 13.5% of cases, with 178,361 new cases and 90,408 deaths reported in 2020. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, with around 1.24 lakh new cases and 77,348 deaths annually. Oral cancer, accounting for 10.3% of all cancers, saw 135,929 new cases and 75,290 deaths in the same year.

Despite the implementation of population-based screening for cervical, breast, and oral cancers under the National Health Mission (NHM), uptake remains critically low. The NFHS-5 survey indicates that only around 1% of women and men in India have undergone screening for these cancers.

"One of the biggest barriers to cancer prevention is the lack of awareness and access to screening services," added Dr Nozer Sheriar, Chairperson, Medical Advisory Panel, FPA India. "We need to tackle the fear and stigma associated with cancer screenings and make these services more accessible, especially for underserved communities."

For over a decade, FPA India has been at the forefront of cervical and breast cancer awareness, screening, and care as part of its sexual and reproductive health services. Recently, oral cancer screening has been introduced in a phased manner. In 2024 alone, FPA India conducted 50,000 breast cancer screenings, 25,000 cervical cancer screenings, and 15,000 oral cancer screenings. Additionally, FPA India has launched a nationwide cervical cancer awareness and HPV vaccination campaign to protect young girls from this preventable disease. Since September 2023, 1,700 doses of HPV vaccines have been administered to girls aged 9-14 years.

To expand outreach, FPA India has invested in digital technology to enhance cervical cancer screening, enabling trained mid-level providers to conduct screenings in low-resource settings. "By integrating digital technology and training mid-level providers, we are bridging critical gaps in screening services and reaching populations that lack access to traditional healthcare infrastructure," explained Dr. Rathnamala Desai, President, Family Planning Association of India (FPA India).

FPA India welcomes the Government of India’s commitment to increasing investments in cancer management, as stated in the Union Budget 2025-2026. However, to effectively reduce the cancer burden, it is imperative to optimize resource allocation for preventive measures, including HPV vaccination, increase investments in screening technologies and early detection programs, and enhance capacity-building efforts to train service providers in screening, detection, and treatment.

"We commend the government's focus on cancer management, but we also urge stronger investments in prevention and early detection," emphasized Dr. Kalpana Apte, CEO, Family Planning Association of India (FPA India).   She further added, "Expanding HPV vaccination, investing in better screening technologies, and training healthcare providers can significantly reduce the burden of these common cancers in India."