A newly released report by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) reveals that breast cancer claimed the highest number of lives among cancer types in India in 2022.

The report discloses that out of 1,92,020 women affected by breast cancer, 98,337 lost their lives, making it the leading cause of cancer fatalities in the country.

The comprehensive study indicates that India detected a total of 14,13,316 new cancer cases in 2022, resulting in 9,16,827 deaths. The top five cancers in India last year were breast cancer, lip and oral cavity cancer, cervix-uteri cancer, lung cancer, and esophageal cancer.

Breast cancer accounted for 13.6% of all cancer cases in the country, followed by cancers of the lips and oral cavity at 10.2%. Cervical cancer constituted 9%, while lung cancer comprised 5.8% of the total cases.

Interestingly, more women developed cancer than men in India during 2022, with 7,22,138 cases for women compared to 6,91,178 for men. The leading cancer sites for men included lips and oral cavity, lung, and esophagus, while women's predominant sites were breasts, cervix, uterus, and ovaries.

The report also highlights that the total five-year prevalence of cancer cases in India, representing individuals alive with a cancer diagnosis within the past five years, was 32,58,518 in 2022.

Globally, an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths occurred in 2022. The report emphasizes that approximately 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime, with 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women succumbing to the disease.