New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- India has witnessed a sharp 26.4% surge in cancer incidence rates over the past three decades, climbing from 84.8 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 to 107.2 in 2023, a landmark study published in The Lancet revealed on Wednesday. The country's cancer mortality rates have simultaneously risen 21.2%, increasing from 71.7 deaths per 100,000 in 1990 to 86.9 in 2023, mirroring global trends that show accelerating cancer burden despite medical advances. India ranks 168th out of 204 nations for cancer death rates, suggesting that while absolute numbers are rising due to population growth and ageing demographics, India's age-adjusted rates remain lower than most countries worldwide. Dr PK Julka, former head of radiation oncology, AIIMS-Delhi, said, "Ageing is one of the causes of various types of cancers that one can get due to overexposure to pollutants including atmospheric, and food. The age-adjusted rates may seem low now because India is a relatively young country, but it is just a matter of time before the numbers go through the roof. It has already started." The comprehensive analysis, titled 'The global, regional, and national burden of cancer, 1990-2023, with forecasts to 2050', examined 47 cancer types across 204 countries and territories, providing the most detailed picture yet of the global evolving cancer landscape. It found that globally, the number of new cancer cases has more than doubled since 1990 to 18.5 million in 2023; while the number of cancer deaths increased 74% to 10.4 million. Without urgent action and targeted funding, 30.5 million people are forecast to receive a new cancer diagnosis and 18.6 million are expected to die from cancer in 2050-with over half of new cases and two-thirds of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), it added....