Burden of cervical cancer in India - estimates of years of life lost, years lived with disability and disability adjusted life years at national and subnational levels - research open access

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Liam

Cervical cancer ranks among the most common cancers in India and remains a major driver of cancer mortality. This study quantifies its burden across national and subnational levels and projects outcomes for 2025 using years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Data from 28 population-based cancer registries supported modeling of incidence and mortality to derive burden estimates and regional disparities, including age-standardised patterns and future projections.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Background (context and global burden)

Ramamoorthy et al. Reproductive Health (2024) 21:111 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-024-01837-7](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-024-01837-7) Reproductive Health RESEARCH Open Access Burden of cervical cancer in India: estimates of years of life lost, years lived with disability and disability adjusted life years at national and subnational levels using the National Cancer Registry Programme data Thilagavathi Ramamoorthy1†, Vaitheeswaran Kulothungan1†, Krishnan Sathishkumar1, Nifty Tomy1, Rohith Mohan 1, Sheeba Balan 1 and Prashant Mathur1* Abstract Background Cervical cancer is ranked as the second most common cancer in India. This study aims to assess the cervical cancer burden at the national and subnational level in India, projecting it for the year 2025 in terms of years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) . Methods Twenty-eight population based cancer registries within the National Cancer Registry Programme network contributed cancer incidence and mortality data for this analysis. The DisMod-II tool, WHO lifetables, disability weights, mortality to incidence ratio, sample registration system, and census data were used to estimate the burden of cervical cancer. The projection estimates for 2025 were performed using a negative binomial regression model. Results In 2016, the cervical cancer burden in India was 223.8 DALYs per 100,000 women. The highest age-standardised DALYs were found in the northeast region (290 .1 DALYs per 100,000 women) and the lowest in the eastern region (156 .1 DALYs per 100,000 women) . The states of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Nagaland had a higher cervical cancer burden with DALYs exceeding 300 per 100,000 women. The projected cervical cancer burden for India in 2025 was estimated to be 1.5 million DALYs. Conclusions The study has found a significant cervical cancer burden across the regions of India, providing a baseline for monitoring impact of actions. Enhancing awareness of cervical cancer, advocating for the significance of screening, and promoting HPV vaccination among adolescents, families, and communities through informative communication campaigns are essential steps in managing and ultimately eliminating cervical cancer in India. Keywords Uterine cervical neoplasms, Cervical cancer, India, Burden, Disability-adjusted life years † Thilagavathi Ramamoorthy and Vaitheeswaran Kulothungan contributed equally to this work. *Correspondence: Prashant Mathur [director-ncdir@icmr.gov.in](director-ncdir@icmr.gov.in) 1 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)– National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Nirmal Bhawan – ICMR Complex (II Floor), Poojanahalli, Kannamangala Post, Bengaluru 562 110, Karnataka, India © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.) Ramamoorthy et al. Reproduct

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study on cervical cancer in India?

The study aims to assess the cervical cancer burden at national and subnational levels in India and project it for 2025 using YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs.

How were the burden estimates calculated?

Cancer incidence and mortality data from 28 population-based registries were analyzed using tools and inputs such as DisMod-II, WHO lifetables, disability weights, and census data. Projections for 2025 used a negative binomial regression model.

What were the key findings for 2016 and the projected burden for 2025?

In 2016, the burden was estimated at 223.8 DALYs per 100,000 women, with the highest age-standardised DALYs in the northeast region and the lowest in the eastern region. For 2025, the projected burden for India was estimated at about 1.5 million DALYs.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Liam