ABSTRACT
India had a National Cancer Control Programme that was established in 1975–76. Recently the Government of India introduced screening for the three most common cancers – oral, breast, and cervical – under the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS). Significant progress has been made in developing necessary operational guidelines in public health program settings. However, despite the recommendations for population-based cancer screening services through the existing public health systems infrastructure and framework, screening rates among the target population have not improved and remain unacceptably low.
