The Cancer Burden in India

In India, even though the most prevalent cancers – breast, cervical, oral – are largely preventable or treatable, more than 70 percent of cancer cases are detected at later stages, when it is too late for effective treatment. Moreover, alarmingly high rates of tobacco use among both adults and children contribute to the soaring incidence of oral cancers – more than 5 million children are addicted to “gutkha,” a smokeless tobacco product. (An estimated 250 million people in the country use tobacco, accounting for 800,000 to 900,000 annual deaths). As a country in economic transition, India’s disease burden is shifting -- non-communicable diseases, including cancer, are emerging as a major public health problem, reflecting changes in lifestyle. As such, the overstretched public health system confronts myriad challenges, including:

• Competition exists for limited health resources to address both non-communicable diseases, including cancer, as well as the still high burden of infectious disease.

• Access to cancer information is limited to a few large metropolitan areas due to difficulties in outreach to remote and low-income areas and challenges in content development related to low literacy, which is compounded by the existence of 18 regional languages in the country.

• Vast underserved populations remain vulnerable due to geographical gaps in the availability of cancer treatment, early detection, and palliative care services.

Patient Need

Prevalent myths and the spread of misinformation about cancer have been fueled by lack of access to accurate information and by ingrained societal shame surrounding cancer. Cancer is stigmatized and viewed as a “death sentence” – much of the population is not aware that cancer is largely treatable through early detection and treatment.

American Cancer Society Involvement

Since 2000, ACS has worked on increasing cancer awareness; promoting cancer prevention, early detection and access to information; reducing tobacco use and creating tobacco control networks; enhancing the quality of cancer care through clinical training; and improving the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors. ACS employs a full-time staff-consultant in India and also launched the American Cancer Society India Initiative to establish a presence in India to support important cancer-fighting activities.

American Cancer Society India Cancer Initiative

The American Cancer Society is well positioned to promote life-saving interventions in India. We have well-established relationships with the Tata Memorial Hospital and many other cancer/healthcare organizations across India. We also have a long track record of training individuals and organizations on how to prevent and control cancer. We plan to make a long-term commitment to providing resources and support to key Indian leaders and organizations in the fight against cancer

History of ACS Collaboration:

• Sponsored ACSU trainings in Chennai (2005), Mumbai and Cochin (2006), and New Delhi (2007) (which featured a media summit to educate the media about the cancer and tobacco burden).

• More than 20 seed grants disbursed to launch or strengthen cancer or tobacco control community programs.

• Top cancer control NGO leaders participated in a five-month, US-based fellowship program that included seed funding and ongoing technical assistance to launch new community-based cancer programs.

• Ongoing technical assistance to tobacco control leaders since 2000, including collaboration in the development of the Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control, designed to support efforts on tobacco control activities throughout the country.

• Launched a Palliative Care Clinical Training Center in Hyderabad in 2006.

• Pilot tested components of Workplace Solutions, an Employer Initiative program, to engage employers to become partners in chronic disease prevention, in Jaipur.

• Currently offering Quitline® and other Workplace Solution programs for companies in India.

• Launched the first Cancer Resource Hub in India in 2008. This is initially a resource for physicians, but will expand to become a community resource.

To learn more about the American Cancer Society's cancer-fighting efforts in India or to become a Founding Supporter of the American Cancer Society India Initiative, please contact Meenu Anand, Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, at meenu.anand@cancer.org