The Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu has released a comprehensive five-year analysis of cancer trends in the region, documenting 9,427 registered cases between 2020 and 2024 through its Hospital-Based Cancer Registry (HBCR). The report, compiled under the National Cancer Registry Programme of ICMR, offers a detailed picture of demographic patterns, cancer types, staging at diagnosis and district-wise distribution of cases.
According to the data, males accounted for 56.76% of cases (5,351 patients), while females represented 43.23% (4,076 patients), placing the male-to-female ratio at 1.31:1. The findings point to a significantly higher burden of cancer among men in the Jammu region during the assessed period.
Jammu district reported the highest load, contributing 38.94% (3,671 cases) of all registered patients, followed by Udhampur (10%), Kathua (9.07%), Doda (7.36%) and Rajouri (7.16%). Smaller districts such as Ramban and Kishtwar reported lower but notable case numbers.
The age-wise distribution shows that cancer incidence rises sharply after 40 years, with 83% of all cases recorded in the 40–80 age bracket. The 60–80 age group alone accounted for 44.91% of total patients, making it the most affected demographic.
In terms of cancer types, the report lists lung cancer as the most common, constituting 14.19% of all cases, followed by head and neck cancers (10.66%), breast cancer (7.47%), hepatobiliary cancers (7.22%) and genitourinary cancers (6.94%). These sites together make up the largest share of the cancer burden in the region.
A gender-wise breakdown shows significant variation in leading cancer types. Among men, the most prevalent cancers were lung (32%), head and neck (25%), genitourinary (17%), oral (14%) and hematological cancers (12%). In women, breast cancer dominated with 30%, followed by cervical cancer (22%), hepatobiliary cancers (17%), ovarian cancer (16%) and lung cancer (15%).
One of the most concerning findings in the report is the stage at which patients arrive for treatment. Nearly 72% of all patients were diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV, with Stage IV alone accounting for 43% of registrations. Early-stage cases (Stage I) constituted only 7% of the total.
The HBCR workflow, as outlined in the report, involves meticulous data collection, software-based entry, national publication through ICMR-NCDIR and regular submission to the International Agency for Research on Cancer for global epidemiological records.
The five-year dataset provides one of the most detailed snapshots of cancer incidence in Jammu to date, underscoring the need for early detection, improved screening and district-specific interventions to address the rising burden.