Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cancer Care in India

  • Chapter
Cancer Care in Countries and Societies in Transition

  • 704 Accesses

Abstract

Incidence of cancer in India is only half the global incidence. But because of the sheer size of population, the incidence comes to 1.1 million patients. Though the incidence is lower than the High-Income Countries, cancer survival is poorer in India. The percentage of 5 year survival in India after diagnosis is only half the survival rate in rich countries. Oral cancers account for over 30 % of all cancers reported in India. This group, because of the possibility of early detection, has potential for good treatment outcomes and long term survival. But the majority of patients with oral cancer in India, like patients with other cancers, end up with poor treatment outcome due to delays in diagnosis and lack of access to proper treatment facilities.

India has a National Cancer Control Program in place, but no systematic screening programs at the national level. Availability of palliative care services is even poorer except in the state of Kerala. Treatment of cancer is expensive. Inadequacy of treatment facilities in the public sector and the increasing presence of private players in the scene make treatment of cancer very expensive and unaffordable to majority of patients. Almost all the cancer research in the country is concentrated in Tertiary Cancer Centres and certain central institutions of biomedical science. Funding for research activities is almost totally by the Government.

Despite these setbacks, India has a couple of innovative models in early detection and palliative care to offer to the rest of the world.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Bhishagratha KL, editor. Sushruta samhita. Varanasi: Choukhamba Orientalia; 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, et al. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0. Cancer incidence and mortality worldwide: IARC Cancer Base No. 11. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2013. http://globocan.iarc.fr. Accessed 30 Mar 2015.

  3. Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Almeida-Filho N. A glossary for health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002;56:647–52.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Balarajan Y, Selvaraj S, Subramanian SV. Health care and equity in India. Lancet. 2011;377:505–15.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Engelgau MM, Karan A, Mahal A. The economic impact of non-communicable diseases on households in India. Global Health. 2012;8:9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Pramesh CS, Badwe RA, Borthakur B, et al. Delivery of affordable and equitable cancer care in India. Lancet Oncol. 2014;15:e223–33. Published online April 11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70117-2.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. ICMR. Time trends in cancer incidence rates 1982–2005; ICMR Bulletin, vol. 40 No. 2, Feb 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mallath MK, et al. The growing burden of cancer in India: epidemiology and social context. Lancet Oncol. 2014;15:e205–12. Published Online April 11, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70115-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kumar S, Heller RF, Pandey U, Tewari V, Bala N, Oanh KTH. Delay in presentation of oral cancer: a multifactor analytical study. Natl Med J India. 2001;14(1):13–7.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Khandekar PS, Bagdey PS, Tiwari RR. Oral cancer and some epidemiological factors: a hospital based study. Indian J Community Med. 2006;31(3):157–9.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cancela MDC, Ramadas K, Fayette JM, et al. Alcohol intake and oral cavity cancer risk among men in a prospective study in Kerala, India. Community Dentistry Oral Epidemiol. 2009;37(4):342–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Registrar General of India and Centre for Global Health Research. Causes of death in India, 2001–2003: Sample Registration System. New Delhi: Government of India; 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Jha P. Avoidable global cancer deaths and total deaths from smoking. Nat Rev Cancer. 2009;9:655–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Dikshit R, Gupta PC, Ramasundarahettige C, et al. Cancer mortality in India: a nationally representative survey. Lancet. 2012;379:1807–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Prachitha J, Shanmugam KR. Efficiency of raising health outcomes in Indian states. Working paper 70/2012. Chennai: Madras School of Economics; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Samiei M. Challenges of making radiotherapy accessible in developing countries. Cancer Control 2013. http://globalhealthdynamics.co.uk/cc2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/83-96-Samiei-varian-tpage-incld-T-page_2012.pdf. Accessed 28 Mar 2015.

  17. Thakur J, Prinja S, Garg CC, Mendis S, Menabde N. Social and economic implications of noncommunicable diseases in India. Indian J Community Med. 2011;36 suppl 1:S13–22.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Dror D, Putten-Rademaker V, Koren R. Cost of illness: evidence from a study in five resource-poor locations in India. Indian J Med Res. 2008;20:347–61.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Datta A. Study finds that half of Indian households affected by cancer have to sell assets to fund care. BMJ. 2013;347:f5147.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Nandi A, Ashok A, Laxminarayan R. The socioeconomic and institutional determinants of participation in India’s health insurance scheme for the poor. PLoS One. 2013;8:e66296.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Coelho KR. Challenges of the oral cancer burden in India. J Cancer Epidemiol 2012 (2012). http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/701932.

  22. Saxena U, Sauvaget C, Sankaranarayanan R. Evidence-based screening, early diagnosis and treatment strategy of cervical cancer for national policy in low-resource countries: example of India. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2012;13:1699–703.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Mahal A, Karan A, Fan VY, Engelgau M. The economic burden of cancers on Indian households. PLoS One. 2013;8:e71853.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Experts in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. The price of drugs for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a reflection of the unsustainable prices of cancer drugs: from the perspective of a large group of CML experts. Blood. 2013;121:4439–42.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Arie S. Bayer challenges India’s first compulsory licence for generic version of cancer drug. BMJ. 2012;345:e6015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Broom A, Doron A. The rise of cancer in urban India: cultural understandings, structural inequalities and the emergence of the clinic. Health (London). 2012;16:250–66. doi:10.1177/1363459311403949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Kumar S. Models of delivering palliative and end-of-life care in India. Support Palliat Care. 2013;7(2):216–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. World Health Organisation (India). Review of palliative care in tertiary cancer centres and strengthening of existing palliative care services (APW 2010/144887). Unpublished Report, October 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Sankaranarayanan R, Ramadas K, Thomas G, et al. Effect of screening on oral cancer mortality in Kerala, India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2005;365(9475):1927–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Public Health Foundation of India. A critical assessment of the health insurance models in India; 2011. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/ser_heal1305.pdf. Accessed 28 Mar 2015.

  31. Rao MG, Choudhury M. Health care financing reforms in India. Working paper No. 2012-100. National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Free Press Journal. Kerala becomes first state to provide free cancer treatment. 11 October 2014. http://www.freepressjournal.in/kerala-becomes-first-state-to-provide-free-cancer-treatment/. Accessed 31 Mar 2015.

  33. Flores G, Krishnakumar J, O’Donnell O, van Doorslaer E. Coping with health-care costs: implications for the measurement of catastrophic expenditures and poverty. Health Econ. 2008;17:1393–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Rao MG, Singh N. Political economy of federalism in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  35. WHO. 2008–2013 Action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Lewison G, Roe P. The evaluation of Indian cancer research, 1990–2010. Scientometrics. 2012;93:167–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Bhaumik S. Network of high quality cancer hospitals is planned for India. BMJ. 2013;346:f2858.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. World Bank. World development indicators. Nov 21, 2013. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.PUBL. Accessed 4 April 2015.

  39. Turner L. ‘First World Health Care at Third World Prices’: globalization, bioethics and medical tourism. BioSocieties. 2007;2:303–25. doi:10.1017/S1745855207005765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Nene B, et al. Determinants of women’s participation in cervical cancer screening trial, Maharashtra, India. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85(4): 264–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0042-96862007000400011.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Pradeep PV, Aggarwal V, Yip CH, Cheung PS. Spectrum of breast cancer in Asian women. World J Surg. 2007;31:1031–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Laxmi S, Khan JA. Does the cancer patient want to know? Results from a study in an Indian tertiary cancer center. South Asian J Cancer. 2013;2(2):57–61. doi:10.4103/2278-330X.110487.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Palliative Medicine, Calicut, Kerala, India

    Suresh Kumar MBBS, DA, MA, Dip Pall Med

Authors
  1. Suresh Kumar MBBS, DA, MA, Dip Pall Med
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suresh Kumar MBBS, DA, MA, Dip Pall Med .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, & Middle East Cancer Consortium, Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Michael Silbermann

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kumar, S. (2016). Cancer Care in India. In: Silbermann, M. (eds) Cancer Care in Countries and Societies in Transition. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22912-6_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22912-6_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22911-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22912-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation