NEW DELHI: Cancer cases as well as mortality are increasing rapidly among Indian women, primarily because of low awareness and late detection. India accounts for the third highest number of cancer cases among women after China and the US, growing annually at 4.5-5%, new data shows.According to a report 'Call for Action: Expanding cancer care for women in India, 2017', cancer among women in India is estimated at 0.7 million. Data shows cervical and breast cancer mortality rates in India are 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than the maternal mortality, highlighting the significantly adverse mortality rates for women-specific cancers in the country. This reduces five-year survival rate by 3 to 17 times for breast and cervical cancer. Similarly, alcohol consumption per capita increased three times in India between 2000 and 2014.

Source: Times of India September 23, 2017 20:26 UTC