Lung, breast, oral, cervical cancers common in UT
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Feb 13: A total of 32,425 cancer cases have been reported in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir over the past three years, with a higher prevalence among men, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo informed the Legislative Assembly today.
Replying to an unstarred question by PDP MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para, the Minister said 25,621 cases were reported from the Kashmir region and 6,804 from the Jammu region.
In Kashmir, 8,021 cases were reported in 2022, 8,621 in 2023 and 8,979 in 2024. In Jammu, 2,036 cases were reported in 2023, 2,187 in 2024 and 2,581 in 2025.
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Providing gender-wise details, Itoo said that in Kashmir, 13,807 men and 11,814 women were diagnosed with cancer between 2022 and 2024.
In Jammu, 3,541 men and 3,263 women were reported cancer positive between 2023 and 2025.
Year-wise data showed that in Kashmir, 4,333 men and 3,688 women were diagnosed in 2022; 4,685 men and 3,936 women in 2023; and 4,789 men and 4,190 women in 2024.
In Jammu, 1,177 men and 859 women were diagnosed in 2023; 1,248 men and 939 women in 2024; while in 2025, women outnumbered men with 1,465 cases compared to 1,116 among men.
The Minister said the most common cancers in the UT include lung, breast, oral, cervical, prostate and pancreatic cancers.
Gastro-intestinal malignancies such as cancers of the esophagus, stomach and colorectal region are also frequently reported, she said.
She informed the House that comprehensive cancer care is available at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and the State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College, Jammu.
“These institutions provide multidisciplinary services including medical, surgical and radiation oncology and clinical hematology,” the Health and Education Minister said, adding that advanced facilities such as PET-CT, CT scan, CT simulators and modern radiotherapy systems are available.
On early detection and prevention, Itoo said the Government is implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, conducting awareness campaigns, organising screening camps including in Samba and Kathua in collaboration with AIIMS Vijaypur, and observing national and international cancer awareness days.
Diagnostic services such as MRI, endoscopy, colonoscopy and histopathology are being utilised for early diagnosis, while patients requiring advanced care are referred to tertiary centres and NGOs, she said.
She also informed that a high-level meeting chaired by a Member of NITI Aayog, with representatives from ICMR, DHR, Tata Memorial Hospital and PGI Chandigarh, was also held to frame cancer prevention and treatment policies for Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Minister, the cancer patients are currently treated at SKIMS Soura, Government Medical Colleges in Jammu and Srinagar and their associated hospitals, while specialist oncology services are available at GMC Jammu, State Cancer Institute Jammu, SMGS Hospital, Bone and Joint Hospital and SMHS Hospital.
However, specialised oncology services are presently limited to GMCs and are not available at district hospitals or Community Health Centres, claimed the Minister.
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