Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 9: Cancer registry data from the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, indicates a significant improvement in cancer survival outcomes in Kashmir.
Figures from the SKIMS Hospital-Based Cancer Registry and the Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) show that the five-year survival rate of patients treated at the institute has crossed 40 per cent, reflecting major gains in early detection, timely diagnosis and advanced treatment.
Operational since 2018, the registries reveal that over the past eight years, more than 60,000 cancer cases were diagnosed across ten districts of Kashmir, while around 16,000 deaths were reported.
Doctors at SKIMS, who regularly treat such patients, said the trend points to steadily improving survival rates, driven by earlier disease presentation, better access to healthcare, and the availability of modern treatment facilities.
According to data presented recently at a ceremony marking World Cancer Day, SKIMS currently caters to over 50 per cent of cancer patients from the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Over the past decade, the institute has treated more than 50,000 patients from Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh, with over 5,700 patients receiving care in 2025 alone.
In terms of disease burden, lung cancer remains the most common malignancy among men, followed by cancers of the stomach, oesophagus, colon, and prostate.
Among women, breast cancer is the most prevalent, while thyroid, ovarian, oesophageal, and stomach cancers are also common.
Overall, cancer incidence continues to be higher among men than women in J&K.
Medical oncologists said the improving survival trends reflect growing public awareness and major advances in cancer care, stressing that cancer should now be viewed like other non-communicable diseases and not as a “death sentence.”
SKIMS Director Prof. M. Ashraf Ganie said the institute has significantly strengthened oncology services by consolidating care within a dedicated facility equipped with advanced radiotherapy and surgical oncology units.
He said major expansions include high-volume chemotherapy day-care services and improved patient accommodation to enhance comfort and accessibility.
Prof. Ganie also highlighted significant progress in stem cell transplantation, with successful procedures performed for leukaemia, multiple myeloma, and other benign and malignant conditions.
He added that SKIMS has initiated Total Body Irradiation and haplo-identical stem cell transplantation for the management of complex diseases.
The Pain and Palliative Care Unit, he said, has emerged as a compassionate, patient-centred initiative, offering home-based services to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients.
Among key infrastructure upgrades, Prof. Ganie listed the procurement of a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator, installation of a dedicated 4D-CT facility, establishment of Immunohistochemistry (IHC) laboratories, and the induction of other advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.
He added that further enhancements are underway.
The Director also informed that he is actively seeking support from the Government of India to secure National Cancer Institute status for SKIMS, which, he said, would significantly strengthen cancer care and research in the region, benefiting patients across J&K and Ladakh.
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