By Lt. Col. Dr Taranjeet Kaur, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Dr A. Kumar, Public Health Expert
Breast cancer remains one of the most significant public health challenges facing women in India. While awareness campaigns have an important role to play, awareness alone cannot change outcomes unless it is followed by timely medical assessment, accurate diagnosis, accessible treatment and sustained patient support. India’s response must therefore move beyond awareness activities towards a healthcare system that ensures continuity of care for every woman.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed in October, provides an opportunity to examine whether the country is translating public awareness into meaningful action. The real measure of progress is not simply the number of campaigns conducted or screening encounters recorded, but whether women can access appropriate medical care without avoidable delays.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, India recorded approximately 192,020 new breast cancer cases in 2022. Breast cancer accounted for 26.6 per cent of estimated new cancer cases among women in the country and 13.6 per cent of all estimated new cancer cases across both sexes. These figures underline the scale of the challenge and the need for a sustained, evidence-based response.
Early Diagnosis Must Become a Priority
One of the persistent challenges in breast cancer care is the delay between noticing a symptom and seeking medical advice. Fear, embarrassment, social stigma and limited awareness can prevent women from consulting a healthcare professional when they first notice an unusual change.
A new lump in the breast or armpit, changes in breast size or shape, dimpling or thickening of the skin, an inward-turning nipple or bloody nipple discharge warrants medical assessment. Such changes do not necessarily indicate cancer, as benign conditions can produce similar symptoms. However, they should never be ignored.
Breast cancer can be painless, particularly in its early stages. Waiting for pain to develop before seeking medical attention can therefore delay diagnosis. Women must be encouraged to discuss their concerns openly, while families and communities should support rather than discourage them from seeking care.
Being familiar with one’s own body can help identify unusual changes, but breast self-examination alone cannot diagnose cancer or reliably rule it out. A qualified healthcare professional should determine whether further investigations, including diagnostic imaging or tissue sampling, are necessary.
The priority must be to ensure that women recognise potential warning signs and can access appropriate medical assessment without fear or unnecessary delay.
Screening Must Lead to Diagnosis and Treatment
India has established public health mechanisms to support the early detection of common cancers. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, implemented with support through the National Health Mission, includes population-based screening for breast cancer.
Trained frontline health workers can conduct clinical breast examinations and refer women with suspicious findings for further assessment. Diagnostic imaging and other investigations should be guided by clinical advice, symptoms, age and individual risk.
However, screening is only the first step. Its intended benefit depends on whether women with abnormal findings complete diagnostic evaluation and receive appropriate treatment when required.
Screening and diagnostic assessment serve different purposes. Screening aims to identify possible disease in people without symptoms, while diagnostic evaluation investigates a concerning symptom or abnormal finding. A woman who notices a suspicious change should not wait for a future screening appointment.
Official Ministry of Health and Family Welfare figures published in March 2026 reported 162,445,340 breast cancer screening entries under the national programme up to February 2026. The same data recorded 77,107 women in the diagnosed category and 68,402 in the treatment category. These figures must be interpreted carefully: screening entries should not automatically be equated with unique individuals, and programme-recorded diagnoses do not represent the total number of new breast cancer cases nationally.
The figures highlight the importance of looking beyond screening volumes. Public health authorities must also examine whether abnormal findings are investigated promptly, whether patients reach appropriate treatment facilities and whether follow-up care is completed.
Healthcare Access Must Not Depend on Geography or Income
The challenge extends beyond individual awareness. Women in rural, remote and underserved areas may face long journeys to diagnostic facilities, loss of daily wages, caregiving responsibilities, social stigma and substantial out-of-pocket expenditure. The availability of trained personnel, diagnostic services and specialist treatment can also vary between districts.
These barriers can delay care even when a woman is willing to seek medical attention. Improving awareness without addressing these structural difficulties risks placing the entire responsibility on patients while leaving the obstacles to treatment unchanged.
Strengthening primary healthcare is therefore essential. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and other primary care facilities can help bring health education, initial assessment and referral services closer to communities. ASHA workers, auxiliary nurse midwives, nurses and community health officers can encourage timely consultations and guide women towards appropriate services.
Their efforts must be supported by adequate training, clear protocols, functioning referral systems and reliable links with higher-level facilities. Women should not be left to navigate multiple institutions without knowing where to go next or how to access further investigations.
A connected healthcare pathway must make every stage—from the first consultation to diagnostic confirmation and specialist treatment—clear and accessible.
Financial Protection and Cancer-Care Infrastructure Matter
The financial burden associated with cancer can place considerable pressure on patients and their families. Beyond hospital treatment, expenses related to investigations, medicines, travel and time away from work can make continuity of care difficult.
Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana provides eligible beneficiaries with health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for specified secondary and tertiary hospital care at empanelled facilities, subject to scheme rules and package eligibility. The scheme can reduce some treatment-related financial pressure, but patients should verify the coverage available for their specific treatment and circumstances.
India is also strengthening its cancer-care infrastructure. A Ministry of Health and Family Welfare update published in July 2026 reported 19 approved State Cancer Institutes and 20 approved Tertiary Care Cancer Centres under the tertiary-care strengthening scheme. It also reported 524 Day Care Cancer Centres under the national non-communicable disease programme.
These developments provide an important foundation for improving access. However, the effectiveness of healthcare infrastructure depends on qualified staff, dependable diagnostic services, appropriate treatment pathways and coordination with specialist hospitals. The presence of a facility does not automatically mean that every investigation or treatment required by a breast cancer patient will be available there.
Policy must therefore focus not only on establishing facilities but also on ensuring that patients can use them effectively and receive timely, appropriate care.
Measure Outcomes, Not Just Awareness Activities
India’s next step should be to measure the entire journey from awareness to treatment. Screening volumes are useful indicators of programme activity, but they cannot independently establish whether the healthcare system is delivering the intended benefits.
States and districts should monitor the number of people screened, abnormal findings, completed diagnostic evaluations, confirmed diagnoses, time taken to initiate treatment and treatment completion. These measures can help identify where patients are being lost to follow-up and where additional resources are required.
Clear referral pathways should identify where clinical assessment, diagnostic imaging, biopsy and specialist treatment are available. Patient navigators, help desks and follow-up systems can help women complete the diagnostic process rather than being left to coordinate multiple appointments independently.
Digital tools can support patient tracking, referrals and follow-up, but they must protect confidentiality and remain accessible to women with limited connectivity or digital literacy.
A practical strategy should prioritise sustained awareness campaigns in local languages, regular training for frontline health workers, reliable district-level diagnostic services, clear information about financial assistance and transparent monitoring of patient outcomes.
Government institutions, medical colleges, civil society organisations, workplaces and community groups can contribute to this effort, provided their initiatives remain evidence-based and respect patient privacy.
Prevention Must Be Informed, Not Fear-Driven
Regular physical activity, a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight support overall health and may help reduce the risk of some cancers. Avoiding alcohol can also form part of a risk-reduction strategy.
Nevertheless, breast cancer can occur in women with no known risk factors. Age, family history, certain inherited genetic variants and some reproductive or hormonal factors can influence individual risk. Women with a strong family history, particularly cancers diagnosed at younger ages, should discuss individual risk assessment with a qualified clinician.
Prevention messages must never imply that women are responsible for developing cancer because of their lifestyle. Nor should unproven remedies be promoted as substitutes for medical evaluation or evidence-based treatment.
Families and communities have a practical role to play by encouraging timely consultations, helping with travel and childcare, accompanying patients to appointments and supporting them throughout treatment. Media organisations also have a responsibility to challenge myths, avoid sensationalism and communicate medical information responsibly.
Women living with breast cancer deserve dignity, privacy and support—not blame or fear.
From Awareness to Accountability
Breast Cancer Awareness Month should serve as a reminder of a responsibility that extends throughout the year. India has established national programmes and continues to strengthen its cancer-care infrastructure. The priority now is to ensure that these services function as a connected system, enabling women to move from recognising a symptom to obtaining a diagnosis and receiving appropriate treatment.
This requires stronger early detection efforts, accessible diagnostic facilities, reduced financial and geographical barriers, reliable referral systems and accountability for continuity of care. Progress must reach women across rural and urban communities, regardless of income or location.
The ultimate goal is not simply to make women aware of breast cancer, but to ensure that awareness translates into timely action and better health outcomes. Every woman should be able to seek medical advice without fear, obtain the investigations she needs and access appropriate treatment without avoidable delay.
India’s progress in the fight against breast cancer will be measured not by awareness campaigns or screening figures alone, but by the quality, accessibility and continuity of care delivered to women. Awareness is the starting point. Timely diagnosis, equitable treatment and sustained support must be the outcome.
