Head and neck cancers account for 27-30 per cent of all cancers in India, a stark contrast to less than 5 per cent in the United States and Western Europe. 

The rising cases were highlighted by experts at the oncology conclave of the second foundation day of Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Head & Neck Cancer Institute of India (HNCII), the super-speciality hospital in Byculla, which put a spotlight on India’s disproportionate cancer burden compared to developed nations. 

Rising cancer burden in India
At a time when the people are suffering from so many different kinds of cancers in the country, India records over 200,000 new head and neck cancer cases annually, largely linked to tobacco consumption, experts said at the conclave. The real challenge is that almost 60 per cent of these cases are diagnosed at advanced stages.