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

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. 

Dr. Das who heads the Institute of Breast Diseases and is one of the organisers of the event further said that a treatment and drug which is not widely available for all people is not accessible, and to mitigate this crisis, they have taken steps like making better usage of government schemes, giving temporary employment to the relative/caregiver of the patient somewhere near the hospital. “We have seen an immense positive response due to this initiative. When the close relative is given temporary employment near or inside the hospital, the treatment completion rate increases,” Dr. Das said. 

Meanwhile, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary care, Prof. Jens Houber, St. Gallen, Switzerland, said, “Advances in breast cancer treatment require close collaboration between surgery, radiation oncology, and systemic therapies. Global dialogue accelerates progress for patients everywhere.” 

Other medical researchers and doctors present at the conference also highlighted the need to ensure that the treatment and care for breast cancer patients reaches people across all sections of society to help reduce the numbers and make a large-scale impact.  

More than 100 scientific abstracts and over 30 research proposals were presented during the meeting. Five young investigators were selected to present their work at the next St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference scheduled to be held in Vienna in 2027. 

The conference also launched the Project Pink Army, a community-driven volunteer movement aimed at mobilising various sections of the community to drive cancer awareness and build better patient support systems.