The Growing Burden of Cancer in India
In 2020, the worldwide incidence of cancer cases was 19.3 million and deaths were around 10 million. Breast cancer in women was the most commonly diagnosed cancer followed by lung, cervix cancer in women, colorectal, prostate and stomach related cancers.
In India, the estimated number of people living with the disease is around 2.72 million, and every year, new cancer patients registered are over 1.32 million which is expected to increase up to 2.09 million in 2040. Around 0.85 million cancer related deaths occur every year in India. It is one of the leading causes of death (9%) among all the non-communicable diseases in India. One in 68 men (lung cancer), 1 in 29 women (breast cancer) and 1 in 9 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime.
The cancer death rates in India are higher compared to the developed countries. The prominent causes of poor cancer survival rates in India are delayed diagnosis and failure to initiate or complete appropriate treatment on time. More than 70% of cases diagnosed in India are at an advanced stage of the disease, leading to high mortality rates. Moreover, delayed diagnosis poses severe financial implications on the person leading to out-of-pocket expenditure. This in turn leads to financial toxicity in the family bringing economic crisis and poverty to the individual and the family.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
The top five cancers in men and women, which are nearly half of all cancers, can be prevented by avoiding the risk factors associated with these cancers. Moreover, these cancers can be treated with cure at an initial stage if they are detected early. Hence, along with cancer awareness, screening and early detection programs are key strategies in significantly reducing the overall burden of cancer in India. The screening and early detection will reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure and prevent financial toxicity in the patient’s family. People at higher than normal risk in the community should have access to affordable cancer preventive services like screening tests on common cancers on specified time intervals and cancer diagnostic services in the community near to their homes.
There is a need for wise investment in strengthening the cancer screening and early detection programs to address this issue of growing burden of cancers in India. The need of the hour is to integrate technology and adopt innovative methods in screening programs to reach the length and breadth of the country ensuring that every individual who is at risk undergoes screening tests.
Role of CSR in Cancer Control
The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India governed by section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 was implemented in April 2014 which mandates companies to take up social welfare projects by spending 2% of their average net profit for the consecutive three years. Since its inception, several companies have actively contributed to CSR initiatives in various social development sectors including healthcare. Even Indian MNCs like Tata Group, Mahindra Group etc. have marked their contribution to society. During the FY 2020-21 about 26% of India’s CSR was towards healthcare, just second to the education sector. Since the FY 2015-16, around 106 cancer related projects were supported by various companies involving very few of them on screening and early detection programs. There are many such organisations which benefited the society, community, employees and their family (significantly increased during the pandemic) by CSR initiatives. Organisations like Nestle, Alkem labs, Dabur, Cipla, Dell and others significantly contributed to health and wellness CSR related to cancer.
From 2020, 81000 people benefitted from cancer wellness checks, through use of a technology led oncology platform. The screening programs were designed to address not only early cancer detection but to also identify the contributing risk factors that can predispose an individual to cancer.
To better tackle the cancer situation in India, there is an imperative for Indian corporates to channel CSR initiatives towards cancer prevention. The integration of technology and cancer care at the primary care level can help bridge the existing gaps in cancer care and provide affordable and accessible cancer care services in the community. The CSR initiatives, led by purpose led organisations, should address the increasing burden of cancer and the consequences associated with it, through use of digital tools and tele-services to accelerate cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment even in the remote areas of the country. The need of the hour is to have a conscious commitment to make a real, long term sustainable developmental change in cancer care in the community. It is time for CSR to change the future of Cancer in India.
Article Credits: Times of India