The pattern of disease has changed over the last two decades, both globally as well as in India. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) contribute 62% to mortality. Within NCDs, Cancer is a major contributor to the mortality burden, contributing around 12% to annual NCD mortality estimates, after cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), the cancer burden has more than doubled, the highest across all therapy areas.
This white-paper has been developed to provide a comprehensive coverage of breast cancer scenario in India and is targeted at the stakeholders who are involved in providing care for breast cancer in India, including policy makers, physicians, private & public hospitals, NGOs, insurance providers, and patient advocacy groups. The aim of this paper is to provide insights from different states of India which could be used by every stakeholder working in the field of breast cancer treatment, to help in devising strategies for management of Breast cancer in India.
This Paper is a joint initiative by CII and Novartis. It recommends that timely screening, establishment of standard treatment guidelines, funding for cancer research, adequate number of health workforce (oncologists) and creation of awareness for elimination of stigma are some of the areas of intervention in cancer care.
It was released at the Seminar on Women’s Health organised by the CII on 25th October, 2018 in New Delhi.