A Glimpse into the Epidemiology of Geriatric Cancers in India - Report from the Indian Population Based Cancer Registries

Q: How is “older adult” defined in the study context?

The article notes that while the UN defines older persons as over 60 years, organizations differ, with SIOG using 70 years and ASCO using 65 years. In India, many geriatric cancer reports use patients aged ≥60 years due to administrative and life-expectancy considerations.

Q: What proportion of cancers in Indian PBCRs occurred in older adults?

Among 1,61,363 cancers registered in Indian PBCRs, 72,446 (44.9%) occur in older adults (≥60 years). The paper further breaks this down across age groups 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, and ≥75 years.

Q: Which cancers are most common in older adults according to the report?

The study reports common cancers in older adults, including lung, prostate, and esophagus cancers in males and breast, cervix, and lung in females. Overall, lung, prostate, and breast are identified as the most common cancers.

Q: Why does the study emphasize regional and healthcare-system implications?

The report highlights regional variation in older-adult cancer epidemiology, with the highest rates in South India and the lowest in Western India. It also argues that healthcare systems need infrastructure and workforce support, alongside awareness, resource allocation, research, and national policies to improve geriatric cancer outcomes.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore

Indian population aging is accompanied by rising cancer incidence, yet geriatric cancer epidemiology remains insufficiently characterized. This research compiles geriatric cancer data from 2012–2014 published reports of Indian population-based cancer registries. Among 1,61,363 registered cancers, 72,446 (44.9%) occur in older adults (≥60 years), with incidence varying by age band and sex. Common cancers include lung, prostate, and breast, with regional differences across India. Findings quantify the cancer burden and inform health program planning, awareness, focused resources, research, and policy for improved outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Geriatric aging and cancer burden in India

Care needs and geriatric assessment challenges

Health-system and workforce constraints

Role of cancer registries (PBCRs)

Results and findings from PBCR data

Conclusion and implications for policy and care

RESEARCH ARTICLE Editorial Process: Submission:12/02/2023 Acceptance:06/11/2024 A Glimpse into the Epidemiology of Geriatric Cancersin India: Report from the Indian Population Based Cancer Registries Sharada Mailankody1 *, Vishwapriya Mahadev Godkhindi2 *, Karthik Udupa1, Ananth Pai1, Atul Budukh3, Vanita Noronha4, Kumar Prabhash4, Swaminathan Rajaraman5 Abstract Introduction: Indian population is aging and the cancer rates are rising. Older adults (OAs)(≥60 years) with cancer require specialized care. However, data on geriatric cancer epidemiology is scarce. Methods: The study compiled the geriatric cancer data from the published reports(2012-2014) of Indian population-based cancer registries(PBCRs) . Results: Of the 1,61,363 cancers registered in the Indian PBCRs, 72,446(44.9%) occur in OAs, with 21,805(30.1%), 18,349(25.3%), 14,645(20.2%), and 17,647(24.4%) occurring in 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, and ≥75year age groups. The truncated incidence rates for OAs are 555.9,404.5, and 481.9 for males, females, and OA populations respectively. The common cancers are lung, prostate, and esophagus cancers in males, breast, cervix, and lung in females. The overall common cancers are lung, prostate, and breast. While >50% of the incident cases of prostate, and bladder cancers occurred in OAs, <20% of Hodgkin lymphoma and thyroid cancers occurred in OAs. OA cancer epidemiology has a regional variation, highest in South India and lowest in Western India.Conclusion: The current study quantifies the cancer burden in the Indian geriatric population. Understanding the epidemiology of geriatric cancers is vital to health program planning and implementation. Increased awareness, focused resource allocation, research, and national policies for streamlining care will all help to improve geriatric cancer outcomes. Keywords: Epidemiology-geriatric cancers-India-population-based cancer registries-older adults with cancer Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 25 (6), 2011-2022 Introduction India is now the most populous country in the world [1] . Combined with the increase of life expectancy by nearly one decade, from the 1980s to the 2020s, the proportion of older adults(OA) (≥ 60 years of age) is also increasing in India [2] . The number of OAs is 149 million, around 10.5% of the Indian population. Also, the cancer incidence in India is increasing, termed a cancer tsunami or epidemic [3, 4].Thus, there is an increasing incidence of cancers in OAs [5, 6]. There is also a global predicted increase in geriatric cancers [7] . Though the United Nations defines ‘older persons’as those aged over 60 years, different organizations and geriatric societies have used different age cutoff for OAs; the International Society of Geriatric oncology (SIOG) uses 70 years while American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO) uses 65 years [8, 9]. In India, most geriatric cancer reports include patients ≥ 60 years of age due to the retirement age, the age cut-off for governmental schemes, and the average life expectancy [10-12] . Geriatric cancers may have a distinct biology; however, it is undisputed that OAs with cancer require special care from both disease and psychosocial perspectives [13-15] . A comprehensive geriatric assessment(GA) changes the management of the patients, emphasizing the need for such evaluations in day-to-day oncologic practice [16] Despite the need for GA, many oncology facilities do not have access to a specialized geriatric clinic facility for the performance of GA. Oncologists have to resort to‘intuitive’ assessments with basic laboratory reports for assessing the fitness of geriatric patients, which may not be ideal [16, 17].There are several challenges in geriatric oncology practice in India, with a shortage of trained doctors and an uneven distribution of tertiary cancer care centers in India [18-20]. There are very few centers with 1Department of Medical Oncology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education,

FAQs

How is “older adult” defined in the study context?

The article notes that while the UN defines older persons as over 60 years, organizations differ, with SIOG using 70 years and ASCO using 65 years. In India, many geriatric cancer reports use patients aged ≥60 years due to administrative and life-expectancy considerations.

What proportion of cancers in Indian PBCRs occurred in older adults?

Among 1,61,363 cancers registered in Indian PBCRs, 72,446 (44.9%) occur in older adults (≥60 years). The paper further breaks this down across age groups 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, and ≥75 years.

Which cancers are most common in older adults according to the report?

The study reports common cancers in older adults, including lung, prostate, and esophagus cancers in males and breast, cervix, and lung in females. Overall, lung, prostate, and breast are identified as the most common cancers.

Why does the study emphasize regional and healthcare-system implications?

The report highlights regional variation in older-adult cancer epidemiology, with the highest rates in South India and the lowest in Western India. It also argues that healthcare systems need infrastructure and workforce support, alongside awareness, resource allocation, research, and national policies to improve geriatric cancer outcomes.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore