SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 13 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday informed the Assembly that 32,425 cancer cases were reported across the Union Territory over the last three years, with lung, breast, oral, cervical, prostate and pancreatic cancers among the most common.
Replying to a question by MLA Pulwama Waheed ur Rehman Para, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo said that in Jammu division, 6,804 cases were registered between 2023 and 2025, including 2,036 in 2023, 2,187 in 2024 and 2,581 in 2025.
In Kashmir division, 25,621 cases were recorded during the period, including 8,021 in 2022, 8,621 in 2023 and 8,979 in 2024.
“The most common types of cancer are lung, breast, oral, cervical, prostate and pancreatic,” the Minister said, adding that gastrointestinal malignancies such as esophageal, stomach and colorectal cancers are also frequently detected.
Itoo said comprehensive cancer care is available at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and the State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, where medical, surgical and radiation oncology services are provided. These institutions are equipped with advanced diagnostic and therapeutic facilities including PET-CT, CT scan, dedicated CT simulators and modern radiotherapy systems.
She said emphasis is being placed on public awareness regarding early warning signs and modifiable risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and lifestyle habits to facilitate early detection and treatment.
The Minister informed the House that early detection measures include screening through outpatient services and health camps, use of diagnostic tools such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, endoscopy and histopathology, and implementation of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPCDCS). Patients requiring advanced oncological care are referred to tertiary centres.
She further said PET scan facilities are currently available at SKIMS, Soura and the State Cancer Institute, Jammu, while such services are also provided by certain private hospitals. No PET scan facility is presently available at GMC Srinagar, but the Health and Medical Education Department has authorised JKMSCL to procure a PET scan unit costing ₹16 crore for the institution.
Specialist oncology services are presently available at Government Medical Colleges and associated hospitals, while district hospitals and community health centres do not have dedicated oncology units, the Minister added.
