An overview of cancer registration in India: Present status and future challenges

Cancer registration is pivotal for cancer epidemiology and for planning and implementation of cancer policy and research. Morbidity and mortality burden of cancer in India is one of the highest in the world. India has a network of cancer registry distributed across the country, a process which began in the 1960s. The cancer registration in India has expanded including many new hospital-based and population-based cancer registries. Some new initiatives such as cancer atlas and online software programmes have been started for streamlining the process. However representativeness, urban-centric data, timeliness, and quality of cancer data are some of the problems still troubling the process of cancer registration in India. In this context, we should look for a unified systemic framework using newer information and management systems for capturing a complete and clear picture of cancer in India.