India accounts for 7.5 per cent of the total new cases of cancer globally, with China and the US being the only two countries ahead of India in new cases (22 per cent and 11 per cent incidence, respectively).
In India, cervical and breast cancer are the most common,contributing over 26 per cent to the total cases, followed by lung, mouth, pharynx and esophagus cancer. All are associated with tobacco use. Death toll from cancer is nearly 19 per cent higher than from heart diseases.
From a market angle, Oncology presents a significant business proposition for healthcare players. The market is currently pegged at Rs 20,000 crore and will reach around Rs 115,000 crore by 2021.
Of the total market share (by revenue), radiotherapy and chemotherapy form the major chunk (35 and 28 per cent, respectively). India has just 0.4 installations per million population.
The shortfall in diagnostic infrastructure in India to combat cancer is huge. There is a huge unmet need that, in future, would be catered to by corporate and trust hospital groups.