Counting cancer, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Cancer is not a nationally notifiable disease in India, despite recommendations from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• Current data collection relies on Population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) and Hospital-based cancer registries (HBCRs), which cover only 10-16% of the population and have an urban bias.
• 17 Indian states, including Telangana, have independently made cancer a notifiable disease within their jurisdictions.
• The Global Cancer Observatory projects a 74% increase in cancer cases in India, from 1.41 million in 2022 to 2.46 million by 2045.
• The ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), now ICMR-NINE, had previously recommended national notification of cancer.

Cancer.png

Detailed Insights:

• The Ministry of Health has historically resisted making cancer a notifiable disease, citing its non-communicable nature.
• National notification would provide crucial real-time data for monitoring incidence, identifying risk factors, and evaluating public health programs.
• Improved data from notification could shift the focus of cancer treatment towards earlier detection and curative approaches.
• Existing registries face challenges such as limited coverage, urban dominance, data quality issues, and high operational costs.
• A significant portion of cancer care is provided by the private sector, whose data is not uniformly integrated into national statistics.
• A Rajya Sabha parliamentary committee also recommended declaring cancer a notifiable disease across all states and Union Territories.
• Some experts propose classifying cancer as a 'documentable disease' to ensure mandatory reporting without equating it to infectious diseases.
• The National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), initiated by ICMR in 1981, aims to generate authentic data on cancer burden.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Notifiable Disease: A disease that healthcare providers are legally required to report to public health authorities for surveillance and control.
• Population-based cancer registries (PBCRs): Systems that collect data on all new cancer cases and mortality within a defined geographical area.
• Hospital-based cancer registries (HBCRs): Registries that gather information on cancer patients treated within a specific hospital.
• Global Cancer Observatory (GCO): An interactive platform by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), providing global cancer statistics.
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR): India's apex body for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research.
• ICMR-National Institute of NCD Epidemiology (ICMR-NINE): Formerly ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), it focuses on developing national research databases for non-communicable diseases.