Maharashtra has the second-highest number of cancer cases and deaths in India after Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra also has the highest number of cancer patients. However, the state government has not yet taken any concrete steps to notify the registration of cancer patients in the state. As a result, there is not enough information about the status, prevalence and extent of cancer in Maharashtra.
The National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP)
The rate of cancer in the country is calculated according to the National Cancer Registry Program. The programme is being conducted by the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru. A population-based cancer registry (PBCR) is a registry of new cancer cases found in a defined population in a specific geographic area. Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) are registries of cancer patients undergoing treatment at a particular hospital, with a focus on clinical care, treatment and outcome. The registration was started in 1982 and initially population based registration was done in Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai and hospital based registration was done in Chandigarh, Thiruvananthapuram and Dibrugarh in Assam. The programme has been expanded over a period of time and at present, the population-based registration is done from 38 locations across the country. 273 hospitals across the country have been added to the hospital-based registry.
The main objective of setting up the NCRP is to compile scientific data on incidence and mortality of cancer, prevalence and status of different types of cancer, geographical and disease-specific spread to understand the extent of cancer. This information is used to guide cancer control strategies. This information is also useful in evaluating the implementation of these strategies and therapeutic programs. The inputs received through NCRP have been instrumental in improving the management of cancer and improving the quality of patient care in the public health system.
The number of cancer cases is expected to increase by 2025.
The NCRP's 2020 report released the status of cancer disease in the country as recorded from 2012 to 2016. According to the report, the incidence of cancer is expected to increase from 1.39 million in 2020 to 1.57 million by 2025. According to the same report, 1,16,121 new cases were reported in Maharashtra in 2020. This number is expected to increase to 1,30,465 new cases per year by 2025.
The Limits of the NCRP
Cancer is not a notifiable disease in India. The NCRP report states that there are many difficulties in collecting data of cancer patients. The population-based registration in the NCRP covers 10 per cent of the country's population. There are more centres in South India and North Eastern states. Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh do not have a single centre. This register does not represent the entire country. The main reason behind this is the non-availability of information to the NCRP through hospitals and laboratories.