
‘Unify to Notify’– Urges Government to Classify Cancer a Notifiable Disease in India
Apollo Cancer Centre, AROI, and TAMP OS come together with a unified voice to fight against cancer
Chennai, 4th February 2025: Apollo Ca ncer Centres, in collaboration with Ass sociation of Radiation Oncologists of I ndia (AROI), TN Association of Surgica l Onco anthology (TASO), Tamil Nadu Medical and Pediatric Oncologist Soci ety (TAMPOS) launches a nationwide c ampaign–Unify to Notify–on World Ca ncer Day.
The campaign urges the Government o f India to classify cancer as a notifiab le disease, a much-needed critical step for combating the menace of the disea se. In addition, an interactive panel dis cussion on ‘Making Cancer a Notifiable Disease Nationally’ was organized, mo derated b y Dr. Sankar Srinivasan, Sen ior Consult ant, Medical Oncology – Ap ollo Cancer Centre, Teynampet. Paneli sts included representatives from AR OI, TAMPOS, TASO, along with Dr. Sure sh S, HOD & Senior Consultant, Medica al Oncology, Apollo Cancer Centre, Van agaram, and Dr. Prasad Eswaran, Seni or Consultant, Medical Oncology – Apo llo Proton Cancer Centre. The discussi on underscored the collective urgency to classify cancer as a notifiable diseas e and the significant impact it would h ave on improving data collection, reso urce allocation, and patient outcomes.
India currently reports over 14 lakhs n ew cancer cases annually, with the nu mber expected to rise to 15.7 lakhs by 20 ly strengthening India’s role in glob bal oncology research and care
In 2022, the Parliamentary Standing Co mmittee on Health and Family Welfare submitted a report to the Rajya Sabha recommending cancer be classified as a notifiable disease. Through this initi ative, the industry experts are hoping that the Government of India take the next logical move which is to pass this Bill in both the Upper and Lower Hous es in the upcoming budget session.
Dr. Balasundaram V, President, Assoc ciation of Radiation Oncologists of Indi a (A ROI) Tamil Nadu and Puducherry chapte r, said, “AROI supports the not ification of cancer as a disease as it wi ll provide us with crucial biological da ta neede d for evidence-based policy-m aking. Ou r current estimates of cance r burden in India are based on limited data. Mandat ory reporting will give us accurate insigh ts into cancer patterns, helping us desig n better prevention st rategies and alloc ate research funding more effectively.”
Dr Ayyappan, Secretary – TN Associatio n of Surgical Oncology (TASO) said, Ea rly diagnosis and treatment for cancer improves quality of life and reduces th e cost of care. TASO stands firmly with thi s initiative to make cancer a notifia ble disease and accessible to all by spr eading extensive awareness. This step will brid ge the current gaps in our can cer surveil lance system and enable be tter coordination between various hea lthcare providers. Apollo Cancer Centr es has been a t the forefront of providi ng comprehensive cancer care, and we believe that the notification of cancer will enable all of us to further enhanc e the services towar ds better cancer c are. By making cancer a notifiable dise ase, we can ensure that all cancer case es are reported and docum ented, ena bling us to track cancer incidence, mor tality, and survival rates.”
Dr Kalaichelvi K, President, Tamil Nad u Medical and Pediatric Oncologist Soc iety (TAMPOS) said, “Making cancer no tifiable will revolutionize our underst nding of cancer patterns at the state le vel. It will help us identify regional var iations in cancer types and risk factor s, leading to more targeted prevention programs. Apollo Cancer Centres has e stablished a network of cancer centres across the co untry, which will play a c ritical role in collecting and analyzing cancer data at the state level. By analy zing cancer data at the state level, we can identify areas with high cancer inc idence and develop targeted interventi ons to address these disparities.”
Speaking at the event, Mr. Harshad Re ddy, Director Group Oncology & Intern atlional, AHEL, emphasized, “Making c ancer a notifiable disease is a transfor mative step that will revolutionize ho w we approach cancer care in India. W ith proper documentation of every can ncer case, we can better understand p atterns, allocate resources efficiently, and develop targeted treatment protoc ols. At Apollo Cancer Centres, we have already established a robust cancer re egistry, which has en abled us to track cancer trends and out comes. We are n ow seeking the invaluable support of i ndustry experts and urge the Governm ment of India to pass this Bill in both t he Upper and Lower Houses, to enable better cancer care and research across India.”
Photo Caption 1 : Left to Right : Dr Ayy appan, Secretary – TN Association of S urgical Oncology (TASO), Dr Sankar Sri nivasan, Senior Consultant – Medical O ncology, Apollo Cancer Centre, Teyna mpet, Mr Harshad Reddy, Director, Gr oup O ncology & International, Apollo Hospita als , Dr. Balasundaram V, Pres ident, Ass ociation of Radiation Oncolo gists of Ind ia (AROI) Tamil Nadu and P ondicherry c hapter, Dr Kalaichelvi K, President, Tam il Nadu Medical and Pe diatric Oncolo gi st Society (TAMPOS),
Dr Suresh S, HOD & Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, Apollo Cancer Cent re, Vanagaram, Dr Prasad Eswaran, Se nior Consultant, Medical Oncology- Ap ollo Proton Cancer Centre
The ‘Unify to Notify’ campaign represe nts a yeoman step towards transformi ng cancer care in India and identifying ca ncer as a notifiable disease, where e very cancer case counts, every patient matters, and no data point is lost in th e journ ey towards better cancer care in India.
While 15 states, including Haryana, Ka rnataka, Tripura, West Bengal, Punjab, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Guj jarat, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, and Rajastha n, have already made cancer a notifiab le disease, nationwide implementation remains a necessity. Globally, over 12 countries including the US, England an d Wales, Scotland, Denmark, Nordic co untries, Canada, Australia, New Zealan d, Israel, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The G ambia, have recognised the importanc ance of mandatory cancer reporting.
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