Rising cancer rates in India: Mouth and breast cancer cases surge

India faces a crisis of rising cancer rates, particularly of mouth cancers.
Lip and mouth cancers were the most frequently diagnosed among men while breast cancer accounted for the highest proportion of cases among women, according to a study by India’s top research agency, ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research.
The researchers published a comparative study in ECancer journal about cancer cases, deaths, and the impact on quality of life (measured by DALYs) in the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The findings showed how common cancer is among the BRICS nations, how many people die from it, and how much it affects people’s daily lives in these nations.
According to the findings, Russia had the highest rate of new cancer cases for both men and women. For men in Russia, the most common types of cancer were prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers.

(Photo: GLOBOCAN 2022)

In India, however, lip and mouth cancers were the most frequently diagnosed among men. For women, breast cancer was the leading type across most BRICS nations.
However, in China, lung cancer was more common among women.
South Africa recorded the highest cancer death rate for both men and women. Russia saw the highest number of cancer-related deaths among men, while South Africa led in cancer deaths among women.
When it came to cancer-related deaths, lung cancer was the top cause in all the BRICS countries except India.
In India, breast cancer was responsible for the highest number of deaths. The impact of cancers, especially in terms of life years lost, was mostly due to lung-related cancers, such as cancers of the trachea and bronchus, across the countries.
India, again, was an exception, where breast cancer had the biggest impact.
According to the researchers, looking ahead, South Africa and India are expected to experience the largest increase in new cancer cases and cancer-related deaths in the coming years.

(Photo: GLOBOCAN 2022)

“Although the BRICS countries anticipate sustained economic growth and have viable cancer control plans, it is essential to investigate cancer risk factors and health systems influencing cancer incidence and outcomes,” as per the study.
A study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, revealed that BRICS nations account for 42% of global cancer-related deaths. China experienced the highest total productivity loss at $28 billion, while South Africa incurred the highest cost per cancer death at $1,01,000.
“Our analysis also shows the sharp increase in cancer cases and deaths between 2022 and 2045 in India and South Africa. Sathishkumar et al reported a 12.8% increase in the incidence of cancer cases in India in 2025 compared to 2020 and that cancer incidence is continuing to rise,” the authors wrote.
The projected growth in cancer case numbers can be linked to the upsurge in life expectancy at birth, a trend observed across all BRICS countries from 2000 to 2022.