India's Cancer Crisis Deepens: Tata Trusts CEO Flags Late Diagnosis as Cases Soar 24% by 2030

• Tata Trusts CEO Siddharth Sharma warns of India's accelerating cancer burden, with cases projected to rise 24% by 2030 to 1.75 million annually.
• Over 70% of cancer cases in India are diagnosed at a late stage, leading to poor survival rates and high treatment costs, primarily due to limited screening and low awareness in rural areas.
• Tata Trusts is expanding its network to 20 cancer hospitals across states like Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, with 17 new centers planned for Assam by FY27.
• The Trusts advocate for affordable treatment, bulk procurement of drugs through the National Cancer Grid, and expanded insurance coverage to ease financial burden on patients.
• Systemic gaps include shortages of oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists, lack of screening equipment, and underdeveloped palliative care, alongside insufficient psychosocial support.