.png&w=96&q=75){kind=small}
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, is India’s apex body for biomedical research. Through its institutes, it leads cancer surveillance and research in the country. ICMR established the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) in 1981. This network includes population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) and hospital-based cancer registries (HBCRs) across states and regions, which generate data on incidence, mortality, patterns of care, and survival in India.
The programme is coordinated by the ICMR-National Institute of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology (ICMR-NINE), Bengaluru.
It provides standardized data collection, quality control, training, and software support (such as the registry data management tools) to participating centres, and follows ICD-10 and ICD-O coding aligned with IARC/IACR standards.
NCRP publications provide state-wise and region-wise estimates of cancer burden, including major cancer sites and projections of future cases, and play a pivotal role in cancer prevention and control. These findings guide screening and early detection programmes and lead policy decisions under national health initiatives. This forms evidence base for cancer research and public health action in India.
ICMR supports research on risk factors, especially tobacco- and chewing-related oral cancers, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. It funds clinical, epidemiological, and translational cancer research, and conducts capacity-building through training and workshops for registry staff and clinicians.
