2025: One person died of cancer every 18 minutes in Telangana

ICMR-linked data show cancer incidence and mortality increasing over five years; newspaper report highlights growing concern over the state’s cancer burden

Telangana was estimated to have 53,565 new cancer cases and 29,300 cancer-related deaths in 2025, according to data based on Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) estimates that were presented in Parliament. The figures translate to roughly 147 new cases a day, or one diagnosis every 10 minutes, while the deaths work out to about 80 a day — approximately one every 18 minutes.

The figures were highlighted in a recent report published by Saakshi, which described the trend as a growing cancer burden in Telangana. The newspaper report also cited data on differences across districts and the distribution of cases among men and women.

Cases have risen since 2021

The latest figures indicate a gradual increase over the five-year period. Telangana had an estimated 48,775 new cancer cases in 2021, compared with 53,565 in 2025. Cancer-related deaths increased from 26,681 in 2021 to 29,300 in 2025, according to the figures reported from the ICMR-based estimates.

The 2025 incidence figure is consistent with the earlier Telangana State Cancer Fact Sheet prepared by the ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), which had projected an increase from 47,620 cases in 2020 to 53,565 in 2025. That earlier projection represented a 12.5% increase over the five-year period.

Women account for a larger share of projected cases

The available ICMR/NCDIR-linked data indicate that women accounted for 28,708 of the 53,565 projected cases in 2025, compared with 24,857 among men. That means women represented about 53.6% of the projected cases—not 60%, as stated in the newspaper clipping. The 60% figure therefore has not been independently confirmed and has not been used here.

Earlier ICMR/NCDIR research also identified breast cancer as the leading cancer among women in Telangana, while cancers of the mouth and lung were prominent among men.

Telangana's incidence rate above national estimate

The 2025 estimates put Telangana's cancer incidence at approximately 1,338 cases per million population, compared with an estimated 1,165 per million nationally, according to reporting based on the parliamentary data.

That comparison should be understood as an estimated incidence rate, rather than a count of every cancer diagnosis recorded by every hospital in the state.

Screening and early detection remain important

More recent reporting on the Telangana Cancer Burden Profile 2026, produced through the ICMR-NCDIR system, points to substantial gaps in cancer screening. Among people aged 30–49, screening rates reported for cervical, breast and oral cancers were low, while a significant proportion of cancers were being diagnosed at advanced stages.

The 2026 profile also projects 25,510 new cases among women and 21,252 among men, with an additional 1,199 cases projected among children and adolescents. These are separate 2026 projections and should not be confused with the 53,565-case estimate for 2025.

What the numbers mean

The key takeaway from the ICMR/NCDIR data is that Telangana's cancer burden has increased over the period covered by the estimates. At the same time, the figures should be described as estimates or projections, rather than implying that 53,565 individual cases were independently counted through a statewide reporting system.