Breast cancer cases in India have more than doubled in three decades, experts say

Breast cancer cases in India have doubled in 30 years, highlighting treatment access gaps despite advancements, experts warn.

Kolkata 

Breast cancer cases in India have more than doubled over the past three decades, experts said at an international oncology conference in Kolkata on Friday (March 7, 2026), while warning that gaps in access to treatment continue to affect many patients. 

Experts participating in the India edition of the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference said that there is a steady increase in breast cancer cases in the country. Estimated data shared at the conference suggest that the incidence of breast cancer in India has increased from 13 per 1,00,000 women in 1990 to 29.4 per 1,00,000 women in 2023. 

Medical professionals agreed that active screening and raising awareness have also helped detect more cases, but they feared that various other factors are also contributing to the rise. 

Doctors said that lifestyle changes, lack of breastfeeding, lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, and sedentary work, can also be contributing factors in increasing the chances of breast cancer in people. Though women are at a higher risk of getting affected by breast cancer, it is to be noted that even men can get breast cancer, and regular screening of both genders for breast cancer is crucial to detect the problem at the early stage. 

“We know that geographical and economic factors should not be a barrier for breast cancer treatment, but unfortunately, till today, many people cannot get adequate care due to lack of resources,” Dr. Soumen Das, director of the Institute of Breast Diseases, Kolkata, told The Hindu. He added that their institute’s research is focused on these implementation areas so that all cancer drugs that are available in the global market should also be made available in the remotest areas to have more widespread impact.