Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases that can arise in almost any organ or tissue when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, invade surrounding tissues, and spread to other parts of the body. This uncontrolled growth can lead to severe illness, disability, and death.

In 2022, an estimated 19.9 million new cancer cases occurred worldwide, with India accounting for 7.1% of the global burden.^[1] Among women, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, and India accounts for approximately 25% of global cervical cancer deaths, many of which are associated with late diagnosis.^[2] This highlights the need for effective screening and prevention strategies.

At NDMC, we directed our modelling efforts towards cervical cancer to address this disproportionate burden and to support a key government focus area.

Cervical cancer

Cervical cancer originates in the cells of the cervix, which is a narrow tube at the end of the uterus. Almost 99% of cervical cancers are caused by long-term human papillomavirus infections and are therefore preventable using vaccines against HPV.^[3]

India contributed to 24% of global HPV related cancer incidence in 2020. 78,499 new cervical cancer cases and more than 42,000 deaths were estimated for India in 2022.^[4] Despite being largely preventable, cervical cancer remains a major public health challenge in India, highlighting the need for accurate disease burden estimation and evidence-based vaccination and screening strategies.

How we address this challenge

• Develop a next generation disease model relevant to the Indian scenario.
• Estimate disease burden at national and subnational levels.

Ongoing work

We estimated disease prevalence using AI/ML models and publicly available data for anemia as a test case. We also performed AI-driven synthesis of Indian studies to enable more robust estimation of cervical cancer burden and improve DALY calculations. These approaches provide a scalable framework for generating more accurate burden estimates and informing cervical cancer prevention and control strategies.

References

1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. (n.d.). Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer today. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from
   https://gco.iarc.who.int/today/en
2. Ministry of Science & Technology. (2025, April 23). Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh convenes a joint meeting of Department of Biotechnology, AIIMS New Delhi, BIRAC, ICMR and industry partners to review the indigenously developed HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening in India. Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2123856®=3&lang=2
3. National Cancer Institute. (2023, June 15). What is cervical cancer?
   https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical
4. Singh, K., Grover, A., & Dhanasekaran, K. (2025). Cervical cancer burden in India: A descriptive epidemiological study and policy insights. Global Epidemiology, 10, 100233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloepi.2025.100233