In India’s diverse healthcare landscape, breast and cervical cancers stand as formidable challenges, claiming countless lives amid a backdrop of rapid urbanisation and evolving medical capabilities. Yet, as projections indicate a surge to 1.57 million new cancer cases by 2025, the nation is witnessing a transformative shift toward prevention. Early detection remains a cornerstone, with survival rates soaring when interventions occur at nascent stages. Despite this promise, millions of women, particularly in rural and low-income brackets, remain unscreened due to entrenched socio-economic, cultural, and systemic hurdles.
The rising burden of breast and cervical cancers
Breast and cervical cancers dominate as leading causes of cancer-related mortality among Indian women, underscoring an urgent public health imperative. Recent estimates peg breast cancer incidence at approximately 25.8 per 100,000 women, with projections signaling a dramatic escalationpotentially reaching 519,507 cases by 2050, a 170.5 per cent rise. Cervical cancer, largely preventable through vaccination and screening, persists as a top concern, contributing to a projected burden of 1.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2025 alone. These figures reflect not just epidemiological trends but the ripple effects on families and economies, where late-stage diagnoses inflate treatment costs and exacerbate workforce disruptions.
In low-resource settings, the disparity is stark. Rural regions, home to nearly 70 per cent of India’s women, grapple with limited oncology infrastructure, resulting in 57 per cent of breast cancer cases being identified at advanced stages, where five-year survival dips to 52 per cent. Urban areas fare marginally better but still contend with complacency. This uneven burden highlights the need for tailored interventions that align with India’s National Cancer Control Programme, emphasising equitable screening to curb the projected 874,404 cancer deaths in 2024. By prioritizing prevention, stakeholders can mitigate these impacts, transforming statistics from despair into actionable insights for healthier communities.
Unraveling barriers to effective screening
A web of barriers stifles screening uptake, weaving through cultural, financial, and psychological threads that disproportionately affect vulnerable women. In states like Karnataka, studies reveal cultural stigma as a primary deterrent where many equate a cancer diagnosis with inevitability or social judgment, fostering avoidance. Fear amplifies this, with women shying from invasive exams due to embarrassment or a pervasive “it won’t happen to me” mindset.
Financial and logistical strains compound the issue. Out-of-pocket expenses, including travel and wage losses, deter participation, especially for daily wage earners. Rural inaccessibility looms large, where facilities are scarce and female healthcare providers rare, eroding trust. Even in cities, time poverty such as juggling careers and caregiving breeds denial. These multilayered obstacles not only delay detection but perpetuate a cycle of late interventions, underscoring the imperative for holistic, barrier-breaking approaches that resonate with women’s lived realities.
Harnessing early detection for better outcomes
The evidence is unequivocal: early detection revolutionises survival and socio-economic trajectories for breast and cervical cancers. When identified at localised stages, five-year survival exceeds 90 per cent for breast cancer, slashing treatment costs by up to 70 per cent and alleviating family burdens. For cervical cancer, timely screening via Pap smears or HPV tests can prevent up to 90 per cent of cases, aligning with global calls for elimination by 2030.
Shifting paradigms from reactive treatment to proactive prevention demands risk-stratified protocols like tailoring screenings by age, genetics, and lifestyle. Awareness drives, coupled with accessible tools, can elevate uptake, reducing the 5.6 million DALYs projected for female breast cancer in 2025. This focus empowers women as sentinels of their health, fostering resilience and averting the heartbreak of advanced disease.
Mobile and technological breakthroughs in access
Innovation is dismantling access barriers, with mobile and tech-driven solutions extending screening’s reach into India’s remotest corners. TGH Onco-Life Cancer Centre’s AI-equipped mobile van, launched in Maharashtra in April 2025 with POSCO India’s CSR backing, exemplifies this momentum. Outfitted with Niramai’s Thermalytix, an AI-powered radiation-free thermal imaging tool, it delivers non-invasive breast scans at workplaces and villages, ensuring privacy and painlessness.
Similarly, the Power Finance Corporation’s December 2024 initiative deploys a dedicated van in partnership with Lilavati Hospital, targeting cervical and breast screenings in rural West Bengal. Hand-held devices like iBreastExam further democratise care; this FDA-cleared probe uses sensor technology for lump detection in minutes, ideal for community health workers. Public-private models amplify these efforts, blending corporate funding with NGO expertise to cover underserved populations, proving that mobility and ingenuity can redefine preventive equity.
Fostering awareness and collaborative empowerment
Awareness campaigns are igniting conversations, normalising women’s health dialogues and dismantling stigma. Project Shakthi, spearheaded by organisations like Kalpavriksham Trust and Ganga Hospital, has engaged over 31,000 women through localised talks, free screenings, and HPV vaccinations, emphasising breast self-examination in regional languages. CanSupport’s NGO-led programs extend this reach, offering subsidised screenings and counseling to integrate preventive care into daily life.
CAPED India’s decade-long crusade against cervical cancer, marked by community camps and vaccination drives, has vaccinated thousands while advocating for policy reforms. Digital adjuncts—teleconsultations, reminder apps, and electronic records—sustain engagement, enabling remote follow-ups and data-driven personalisation. CSR-backed affordability, such as free sessions via these platforms, empowers women as advocates, creating multiplier effects that ripple through families and villages.
These strides herald a brighter horizon for Indian healthcare. By weaving technology, collaboration, and empathy, the nation is not merely addressing cancers but fortifying women’s agency and societal fabric. As India eyes cervical cancer elimination by 2030, sustained investment in these innovations promises a legacy of lives saved and futures reclaimed, paving the way for a healthier and more inclusive tomorrow.