{"id":12362,"date":"2026-02-16T20:11:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T20:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=12362"},"modified":"2026-02-16T20:11:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T20:11:37","slug":"nearly-10000-cancer-patients-registered-at-gmc-sgr-since-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/nearly-10000-cancer-patients-registered-at-gmc-sgr-since-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 10,000 cancer patients registered at GMC Sgr since 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

PET Scan facility expected this year, doctors call for therapies like proton beam treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Srinagar, Feb 16: The rising burden of cancer in Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as a major public health concern, with nearly 10,000 patients registered at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar since 2017.<\/p>\n

According to figures accessed by the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer, as many as 1558 cases were registered at the hospital last year, indicating that the trend continues to rise.<\/p>\n

Official data reveals a consistent jump in patient numbers over the past nine years as in 2017: 491 cases were registered followed by 2018: 1,032 cases, 2019: 801 cases, 2020: 650 cases (dip during COVID-19 period), 2021: 1,010 cases, 2022: 1,169 cases, 2023: 1,640 cases, 2024: 1,659 cases and in 2025 1,558 cases were registered.<\/p>\n

Officials said that on average, four to five new cancer patients are being registered every day at the hospital, highlighting the growing pressure on oncology services.<\/p>\n

An oncologist at the Radiation Oncology Department of SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, described the situation as deeply concerning.<\/p>\n

He said there is a sharp rise in new cancer cases across Jammu and Kashmir. The most common tumour in males is lung cancer, while in females it is breast cancer.<\/p>\n

The doctor warned that the high incidence of lung cancer is directly linked to tobacco consumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis scenario is particularly grim because lung cancer has a strong association with smoking and other tobacco products. It reflects how widespread tobacco use is in our society and how urgently we need mass awareness about its dangers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

On breast cancer, the oncologist pointed to lifestyle-related factors.<\/p>\n

\u201cLack of physical activity and rising obesity levels are among the major contributors. The good news is that both these common cancers are largely preventable if people adopt healthier lifestyles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Doctors stressed the importance of educating the public about early warning signs and preventive care. \u201cPeople must be aware of cancer symptoms, undergo timely medical evaluations, and make lifestyle changes. Early detection significantly improves survival and treatment outcomes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite the rising caseload, the department currently offers a wide range of modern radiation therapies, including: Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Brachytherapy and CT simulation services<\/p>\n

The hospital also has dedicated inpatient wards, day-care chemotherapy facilities, blood transfusion units, and specialised care for terminally ill patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll types of tumours in adults and children are being treated here efficiently,\u201d the oncologist said.<\/p>\n

In a major boost to diagnostic services, officials said that the process to install a PET Scan machine is currently underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hopeful that the PET Scan facility will become operational this year, which will greatly enhance cancer detection, staging, and treatment planning,\u201d the doctor said.<\/p>\n

Doctors also highlighted the need for introducing Proton Beam Therapy, one of the most advanced forms of radiotherapy that minimises damage to surrounding healthy tissues and offers better outcomes, especially in complex cancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, this technology is available at only a few centres in India. Given the rising cancer burden in Jammu and Kashmir, such advanced treatment options should be considered here at the earliest,\u201d the oncologist said. (KNO)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PET Scan facility expected this year, doctors call for therapies like proton beam treatment Srinagar, Feb 16: The rising burden of cancer in Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as a major public health concern, with nearly 10,000 patients registered at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar since 2017. According to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","category-kt-front"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12364,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12362\/revisions\/12364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}