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Breast Cancer Awareness month celebration
The Chandigarh NCD Registry, established as the first integrated Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Registry in the WHO South-East Asia Region, serves as a unique model for comprehensive NCD surveillance. The registry compiles and analyses data from multiple sources, including government and private hospitals, laboratories, and death records, to track the burden, outcomes, and trends of major NCDs such as cancer, stroke, Heart attacks, young diabetes, aplastic anemia, chronic kidney disease and RF/RHD initiated from July 2018 onwards.
World NCD Federation in collaboration with Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh and Health Department, Chandigarh Administration, released the 2nd Report of the Chandigarh NCD Registry including Chandigarh Cancer Registry on 11th October 2025 at the Advanced Eye Centre Auditorium, PGIMER Chandigarh. The Chandigarh NCD Registry started as Chandigarh Cancer Registry in 2013 and was upscaled to include 5 diseases from July, 2018.
The main event marked the release of the 2nd Report of the Chandigarh Noncommunicable Disease Registry (2018–2021), including the Chandigarh Cancer Registry. Prof. JS Thakur, President, World NCD Federation, delivered the Welcome Address and presented the Key Highlights of the report, emphasizing the role of registry data in guiding targeted interventions and health system strengthening. He highlighted the Burden of NCDs and mentioned that from July 2018 to December 2021, the maximum cases reported for cancer (n=4166, 62.9%), of all the cases reported under Chandigarh NCD Registry. This was followed by cases of acute cardiac events (n=1835, 27.7%), stroke (n=547, 8.3%), young diabetes (n=54, 0.8%) and aplastic anemia (n=20, 0.3%). Regarding the NCD risk factors 20% were smokers and 3% reported using smokeless tobacco products. Alcohol consumption was noted in 24% of individuals. In terms of dietary habits, approximately 54% of males and 53% of females reported consuming fruits and vegetables daily, reflecting a moderate adherence to healthy dietary practices. Regarding physical activity levels, 73.9% of males and 65.1% of females were classified as physically active, indicating a relatively high proportion of the population engaging in regular physical exercise.
For Chandigarh: The age adjusted incidence among cancer cases reported from UT was 97.33 per 1,00,000 for males and 98.74 per 1,00,000 for females. The age adjusted mortality rate was 50.02 per 1,00,000 for males and 46.88 per 1,00,000 for females. Majority of the male patients were diagnosed with the lung cancer (14.7%), followed by Prostate (13.9%), Urinary bladder (6.7%). Majority of the male patients were died with the lung cancer (15.6%), followed by liver cancer (5.6%), Prostate (5.6%). Majority of the female patients were diagnosed with the breast cancer (36.3%), followed by cancer of ovarian cancer (7.4%), cervix uteri (6.6%) Endometrium (6.1%), and Gall bladder (4.1%). Majority of the female patients were died with the breast cancer (20.7%), followed by Gall bladder (9.2%) and ovary (6.4%).
The key dignitaries included, Dr Manish Bansal, DGHS, Haryana; Prof. Gurvinder Pal Thami, Director Principal, GMCH-32; and Dr Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent, PGIMER, Chandigarh. The key dignitaries released the Report and Fact sheet of Chandigarh NCD Registry including Chandigarh Cancer Registry. Dr Manish Bansal in his address sought the guidance from PGIMER for operating a tertiary care hospital in Ambala, training of manpower, establishing stroke units in all district hospitals and help of PGIMER in planning of next PIP and he highlighted that they are setting Integrated NCD Registry in few districts. Prof GP Thami, expressed that this release ceremony is an important milestone for Chandigarh NCD Registry and GMCH-32 is honoured to be a part of this and extend full support of GMCH-32 Administration for the registry.
To mark the celebration of breast cancer awareness month, a Poster Competition on Breast Cancer Awareness: Prevention, Screening, and Control was organized. This competition received an overwhelming response, with a total of 16 entries from enthusiastic participants showcasing creativity and scientific understanding of breast cancer awareness. The first, second and third prize were given to Ananya Sharma, DCM &SPH; Dr Dheenadhayalan, JR, DCM &SPH; and Dr Vignesh, JR, DCM &SPH respectively. Two consolation prizes were also given to Rohini Kumari and Vijayshree Singh, NINE, PGIMER.
The ceremony concluded with a Vote of Thanks proposed by Prof. Rakesh Kapoor, Secretary, World NCD Federation, acknowledging the valuable contributions of all experts, partners, and participants.
The programme highlighted two high-level panel discussions that addressed crucial aspects of cancer and NCD registry strengthening. First Panel Discussion on the “Role Cancer Registries for Cancer Control” chaired by Prof. Rakesh Kapoor, Unit Head, Dept of Radiotherapy and Oncology and Prof. Samir Malhotra, Head, Dept of Pharmacology at PGIMER, moderated by Prof Pankaj Malhotra, Head, Dept of Clinical Haematology and Medical Oncology. Dr. Awadhesh Pandey (GMCH-32) shared insights on how Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) can be effectively linked to population data to enhance early detection, follow-up, and treatment outcomes. Prof. Radhika Srinivasan (PGIMER) emphasized the importance of standardized reporting, including ICD-O coding and histopathological classification, in ensuring the accuracy and comparability of registry data. Addressing the challenge of high mortality from lung cancer, Dr. Navneet Singh (PGIMER) discussed how registry data can be utilized to monitor tobacco use trends and environmental exposures and non availability of such specific data, and to support the development of lung cancer screening programs. Highlighting the concerns related to liver cancer, Dr. Ajay Duseja (PGIMER) focused on using registry data to identify high-risk populations and develop early detection strategies. Dr. Usha Singh (PGIMER) spoke about integrating the Retinoblastoma Registry within broader cancer and NCD registry frameworks to aid national planning, standardize treatment, and ensure long-term survivor follow-up. On the aspect of data management, Dr. Pankaj Arora (PGIMER) elaborated on the need to strengthen medical records and accelerate digitalization processes to support population-based registries and the accreditation of the institutions for data management standardizations. Finally, Dr. Sukhpal Kaur (NINE, PGIMER) underlined the critical role of nursing professionals in cancer registration and advocated for the inclusion of cancer registry concepts within nursing education and clinical training.
The second panel discussion on “Strengthening of NCD Registries for NCD Prevention and Control “Chaired by Prof. Dheeraj Khurana and moderated by Prof. JS Thakur, this panel explored the integration of NCD registries for comprehensive disease monitoring and policy formulation. Dr. Vivek Kumar (PGIMER) emphasized how registries can support early identification of vulnerable patients such as diabetics and hypertensives, while also discussing operational challenges in maintaining longitudinal follow-up data for CKD cases. Dr. Ashutosh N. Aggarwal (PGIMER) drew attention to the underreporting of chronic respiratory diseases like COPD and asthma, and discussed the feasibility of their inclusion in registries along with the integration of spirometry and environmental exposure data. Prof. Sanjay K. Bhadada (PGIMER) shared valuable experience from the Young Diabetes Registry program and discussed which indicators—such as diagnosis, HbA1c trends, complications, or treatment adherence—should be prioritized in diabetes registries. Dr. O. P. Saini (Haryana) presented key findings from the NCD STEPs Survey in Haryana and explored the potential for including the Chandigarh NCD Registry in the state’s surveillance framework. Dr Nidhi Sharma, State Program Officer, Chandigarh highlighted the importance of Chandigarh NCD Registry in strengthening of NP-NCD in Chandigarh. Dr. Nandita Kakkar (PGIMER) addressed the rising incidence of breast cancer—now the leading cancer among women in Chandigarh—and emphasized the role of screening and early detection in achieving cancer downstaging and improved outcomes. The panel collectively underscored that the success of NCD registries lies in multidisciplinary collaboration, digital integration, and sustained efforts in early detection, surveillance, and preventive care.
The program witnessed active participation from faculty members, researchers, students, and public health professionals, reaffirming the collective commitment toward strengthening NCD surveillance, enhancing cancer control, and promoting breast cancer awareness.
