Jammu, 13-02-2026: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a total of 32,425 cancer cases over the past three years, with men accounting for a slightly higher proportion of diagnoses, the Legislative Assembly was informed on Wednesday.
Responding to an unstarred question raised by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo said that 25,621 cases were reported from the Kashmir region, while 6,804 cases were recorded in the Jammu region during the review period.
According to the data shared in the House, Kashmir reported 8,021 cases in 2022, 8,621 in 2023 and 8,979 in 2024, indicating a steady increase. In the Jammu region, 2,036 cases were reported in 2023, 2,187 in 2024 and 2,581 in 2025.
Providing gender-wise details, the Minister said that in Kashmir between 2022 and 2024, 13,807 men and 11,814 women were diagnosed with cancer. In Jammu, between 2023 and 2025, 3,541 men and 3,263 women were reported to have tested positive.
Year-wise data further showed that in Kashmir, 4,333 men and 3,688 women were diagnosed in 2022; 4,685 men and 3,936 women in 2023; and 4,789 men and 4,190 women in 2024. In Jammu, 1,177 men and 859 women were diagnosed in 2023, followed by 1,248 men and 939 women in 2024. Notably, in 2025, women outnumbered men in Jammu with 1,465 cases compared to 1,116 among men.
The Minister informed the Assembly that the most frequently reported cancers in the Union Territory include lung, breast, oral, cervical, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Gastrointestinal malignancies such as cancers of the esophagus, stomach and colorectal region are also commonly detected.
On the treatment front, comprehensive cancer care facilities are available at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and the State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College, Jammu. These institutions provide multidisciplinary oncology services, including medical, surgical and radiation oncology, along with clinical hematology. Advanced diagnostic and treatment infrastructure such as PET-CT, CT scans, CT simulators and modern radiotherapy systems are operational at these centres.
The Minister also highlighted the government’s preventive and early detection initiatives under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. Awareness campaigns, screening camps in districts such as Samba and Kathua in collaboration with AIIMS Vijaypur, and observance of national and international cancer awareness days are being undertaken to strengthen early diagnosis.
Diagnostic tools including MRI, endoscopy, colonoscopy and histopathology are being used to identify cases at an early stage. Patients requiring advanced care are referred to tertiary institutions and specialised centres outside the Union Territory when necessary.
The House was further informed that a high-level meeting chaired by a Member of NITI Aayog, with participation from ICMR, the Department of Health Research, Tata Memorial Hospital and PGI Chandigarh, was convened to deliberate on strengthening cancer prevention and treatment strategies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Currently, oncology services are concentrated at SKIMS Soura, Government Medical Colleges in Jammu and Srinagar and their associated hospitals, including SMGS Hospital, Bone and Joint Hospital and SMHS Hospital. However, specialised oncology services are not yet available at district hospitals or Community Health Centres, highlighting a critical gap in decentralised cancer care delivery.