With a study showing that only 1.3 per cent of Indian women aged 45 and above undergo screening for breast cancer, experts have called for immediate policy interventions, awareness campaigns and infrastructural advancements to encourage more women to opt for testing.
A study published in the BMC Public Health indicate that India’s breast cancer screening rates are among the lowest globally.
While countries like the US and several European nations boast of screening rates above 80 per cent, India lags even behind some African nations, where 4.5 per cent of women undergo mammograms.
Kerala leads with the highest screening rate in India at 4.5 per cent, followed by Karnataka (2.9 per cent) and Maharashtra (2.05 per cent), while Delhi records a shockingly low rate of less than 1 per cent.
Experts attributed these abysmal statistics to multiple factors, including lack of awareness, social stigma, poor accessibility, and widespread misconceptions about mammography.
Many women in India are unaware that early detection of breast cancer can lead to a survival rate of over 90 per cent, making regular screenings a crucial preventative measure.
Dr Ashish Gupta, Chief of Medical Oncology at Amerix Cancer Hospital, said the combination of misinformation and cultural taboos creates a significant barrier to early detection of breast cancer in India.
“Many women delay or avoid screenings due to fear, societal pressure, and a general lack of education on the subject. The result? Late-stage diagnoses and drastically reduced survival rates.
“Women in rural India face additional hurdles, including the sheer lack of diagnostic centres. Many need to travel long distances to reach a hospital offering mammography services, which can be both expensive and time-consuming,” Dr Gupta said.
Furthermore, the perception that mammograms are painful or harmful due to radiation exposure prevents many from undergoing the procedure.
To bridge this gap, health experts and policy-makers are advocating for urgent reforms.
Mass awareness campaigns must be implemented to educate women about the life-saving benefits of regular screenings. Mobile screening units should be deployed to remote and underserved regions to ensure accessibility.
Additionally, government-led free screening programs can encourage more women to undergo mammograms without financial barriers.
Dr Gupta further emphasised the need for immediate action and said, “Implementing mobile mammography units and integrating breast cancer screening into routine health check-ups will significantly improve early detection. Awareness alone is not enough – ?we need action at the grassroots level. Collaborating with local leaders, NGOs, and even social influencers can help break the cultural stigma associated with cancer screening.”
Dr Shubham Garg, Director and Head, Dept of Surgical Oncology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi said, “Importance of screening should be inculcated from the school level itself. All girls must be taught self breast examination so that they are self aware and can make use of screening mammography once they cross the age of 45 years.
Workplace wellness programs should incorporate regular cancer screenings, he added.
Dr Gupta said, “If companies include mammograms in their annual health check-ups, we can encourage a larger number of working women to prioritise their health.”
Dr Rahul Bhargava, senior oncologist at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said, “To increase screening percentage for cancer, spreading awareness is most important step.
“The time to act is now. Women’s health must be at priority, and we need nationwide initiatives to ensure no woman in India loses her life to a disease that could have been detected and treated early,” he emphasised.
