Integrating Cancer Prevention and Early Detection into Primary Healthcare in India An Evidence-Informed Narrative Review of Community-Based Strategies, Population Screening, Risk Reduction, Early Diagnosis and Continuity of Care for Strengthening Non-Communicable Disease Control

Background

Cancer represents a major and increasingly complex non-communicable disease (NCD) challenge, with substantial implications for population health, health-system capacity and socioeconomic well-being. Although advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment have improved outcomes for several malignancies, the public-health burden remains strongly influenced by preventable risk factors, inadequate awareness, delayed presentation, limited screening uptake, diagnostic delays and discontinuities across the cancer-care pathway. In India, these challenges are particularly important because of the country's large and diverse population, substantial rural–urban disparities, variable healthcare accessibility and dependence on primary healthcare for population-level prevention and early detection.